Mr. Williams' Google Site

2026-27 Classes: Race and Social Justice in U.S. History and Advanced Placement U.S. History

The 2026-2027 School Year is underway!!

Bell Schedules are here.

Canvas is our district based grade/attendance/information site. Calendar, modules and due dates will be there.

Academic Schedule for 2026-27

Race and Social Justice in U.S. History - Periods 2, 3, 6

A.P. U.S. History - Periods 1, 5

Contact Information

Email: kwilliams@djusd.net

Fundraising

Classes like RSJ actually require outside funds to operate (RSJ Reader, DVD purchases, PRS clickers (and batteries) and most importantly, guest speakers. We have two ways to fundraise:

Nugget Scrip. I have submitted our class "DHS-Race & Social Justice" to the Nugget Scrip. All you need to do is get a SCRIP card (available all year, but also at Back to School Night), sign up for scrip (especially our class!), and use the scrip card when you shop.
We also have "No Shave November". Please consider supporting our class by donating to this worthy (albeit silly format) cause. Click on the link to learn more.

News and Current Events

When reading or listening to news, I find it important to look at multiple sources. Below, I have linked the RSS feeds for 5 different news services. In particular, notice the difference in headlines between Fox News and CNN. Fox is more conservative while CNN leans liberal. I think you'll notice this by looking at the different top headlines.

BBC "Top Headlines" RSS

USA Today "Top Headlines" RSS

Fox News "Latest Headlines" RSS

CNN "Top Stories" RSS

Capital Public Radio - do you want a local perspective. Nothing is better than Capital Public Radio!!

Media of Interest (articles, videos, sound)

Immigration Issues in America

Top 1000 Surnames (2010 Census) in the United States - where is your name on the top 1000?
1. Walking Into The Unknown - specifically discusses Punjabi (emphasis on Sikh) immigration to Yuba City, California. This video gives cultural context, but also helps serve as an example for immigration in general.

Hispanic Issues in America

1. The Grape Strike That Transformed A Nation - discusses the Filipino role in the beginnings of the Delano Grape Worker strike that lasted several years in the late 1960s. We mostly remember Cesar Chavez and his role.
2. For Dark-Skinned Mexicans, Discrimination Lingers - the United States does not have a monopoly on racism or discrimination. This article may help you realize this is a worldwide problem. It could also link to the Rough Translation podcast about how race is seen in Brazil.
3. ”The Devil’s Highway Interactive Map – if you’re interested in finding out more about the immigrants discussed in Luis Alberto Urrea’s book The Devil’s Highway, then check out this map.
4. The Hand That Feeds: documentary short that highlights the contributions, difficulties and strength of undocumented workers in New York City.

RELATED POINT RECOVERY VIDEOS: The Hand That Feeds, Made in L.A., Cesar Chavez, Under The Same Moon, El Norte, Cruz Reynoso: Sowing the Seeds of Justice, Viva La Causa, American Me

RELATED IN CLASS ARTIFACTS: Cesar Chavez Poster, BASTA! pamphlet (created in Delano), "We Can Choose" poster with Cesar Chavez

Race and Perception in the United States

1. 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Race - from PBS' Race: The Power of An Illusion. This article was referred to in the "Why Study History" PPT.
2. Stereotypes Drive Perceptions of Race - this set of articles has it all: NPR, Stanford study, Stephen Colbert. All have to with a Stanford study relating to a long (longitudnal) study done at Stanford about how people see race over time. This shows the unfixed nature of race as discussed early in the course.
3. Roots of the Baltimore Riots (2015) - Time Magazine's cover for this article recalled the turbulent year of 1968.
4. Ben Kuroki Dies - a Japanese-American veteran (although the US simply called him American during WWII) dies but leaves an important legacy and reminder of the toll of intolerance during WWII.
5. For Dark-Skinned Mexicans, Discrimination Lingers - the United States does not have a monopoly on racism or discrimination. This article may help you realize this is a worldwide problem. It could also link to the Rough Translation podcast about how race is seen in Brazil.
6. Black Lives Matter - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's recent Time magazine article about why the term "Black Lives Matter" is appropriate.
7. Integrated Prom, April 4, 2014! - discusses the most recent integrated prom in Georgia.
8. Elite or Elitist? - a question for many schools. Why are advanced programs racial and ethnic makeup not similar to school percentages?
9. Dr. Clarence Jones - A colleague of Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Jones played a significant role in the African American Civil Rights Movement. He spoke at DSHS on April 20th, 2017. Here is an interview with him NPR's "A Guiding Hand Behind 'I Have A Dream'"
10. We Need To Walk In Each Other's Shoes - Leonard Pitts' editorial that discusses the need for courses similar to RSJ.
11. The Moth: Hasan Minaj - Davis High grad talks about the difficulty and humor of growing up in Davis as non-white.
12. Eugenics Today - short article about one African-American North Carolina woman who was deemed "feebleminded" and sterilized.

RELATED POINT RECOVERY VIDEOS: Prom Night in Mississippi, Crash, Gran Torino, Race, 42, Unforgivable Blackness, Only the Ball Was White, Hidden Figures, The Help, Loving, In the Heat of the Night, Precious, Fruitvale Station, American History X, Miss Evers' Boys, Detroit

RELATED IN CLASS ARTIFACTS: The Green Book, Japanese internment (maps, posters, and images), United We Win, Little Rock 9 (art and image), Brown v. Board (poster), Barack Obama election poster, Civil War African American Recruitment poster, Watts Riots Life Magazine, Blackout Newsweek magazine, Destroy This Mad Brute/LeBron Magazine Cover,

Gender and Sexuality Issues in the United States

1. 56 Gender Options on Facebook - Facebook gives one 56 gender options to choose from. This article discusses the reasons and gives the 56 different options.

TITLE IX and Myths
1. Transgender 6-Year-Old - an early article that provides GREAT insight to transgender issues as they were beginning to become part of the public conscious.
2. Women Drafted?! - we talked about this in class...will women be drafted? They have been cleared for combat, so drafting women might be the next legal step taken.
3. Mo'ne Davis - South Philly pitcher in the 2014 Little League World Series. A Spike Lee joint.

RELATED POINT RECOVERY VIDEOS: Erin Brockovich, Cold Mountain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Iron Jawed Angels, Transamerica, Bullied, Milk, The Times of Harvey Milk, Philadelphia, Dallas Buyers Club

RELATED IN CLASS ARTIFACTS: National Women's History (1986), Harvey Milk poster, Women's March 2017 poster, Rosie the Riveter (We Can Do It), Wendy The Welder, Gender Is Not Always So Simple (created by DSHS student Katrina Sturm), We Can't Win Without Them (WWII from Gilder Lehrman), Women's Fashion (from 1963 magazine)

Slavery and its Effects

1. How Slavery Really Ended in America - in class we talked about the "Contraband" Army, but we (admittedly) didn't go into enough depth. This article shows what happens when individuals decide history. Much like the college students at Greensboro, NC, or Rosa Parks in Montgomery, AL, 3 runaway slaves and General Butler changed the course of the Civil War.
2. The Open Road Wasn't Quite Open to All - details the Green Book - a automobile guide for black motorists. As you can imagine, black Americans faced a different highway experience than others. Therefore one black writer wrote a guidebook. Now, it's being made into a play. A NPR interview with Julian Bond, former student activist and leader of the NAACP reveals his memories of the "green book". NOTE: There is a replica of the Green Book in our classroom!
3. Retracing Slavery's Trail of Tears - one of my favorite articles of all-time. I learned more about the realities of slavery from this short(ish) article than anything I've ever read.
4. Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi - confession of Emmett Till's murder. Published in January 1956.

RELATED POINT RECOVERY VIDEOS: 12 Years a Slave,The Untold Story of Emmett Till, Murder in Mississippi, Selma, The Children's March, MIghty Times, The Good Fight, Brother Outsider, The Butler, Scottsboro: An American Tragedy, The Great Debaters, Lincoln, Vincent Who?

RELATED IN CLASS ARTIFACTS: "Men of Color" Poster, Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster/newspapers, Civil Rights Timeline (3 posters), Jackie Robinson newspaper, Lincoln Memorial Poster, Dewey Defeats Truman poster

War and Its Effects on Society

1. Aging Veterans Are Battling Again for Honorable Discharges - members of the military who were kicked out for being gay now want there discharges changed. Originally from the New York Times.
2. Yolo At War: Back on the Home Front - if you want to know what Davis (and the surrounding areas) was like during WWII, read on!
3. Terrorism - what makes someone a terrorist? Was John Brown (Civil War) one? The New York Times published two editorials on 12/2/09 to mark the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s execution. One discusses his role as a terrorist, while the other calls for a pardon. Both are quite interesting!! If you can't access these articles, then the National Archives has provided an alternative.
4. Ben Kuroki Dies - a Japanese-American veteran (although the US simply called him American during WWII) dies but leaves an important legacy and reminder of the toll of intolerance during WWII.
5. Lost Boy Army Sergeant - former Sudan Lost Boy in a CBS interview
6. Blackadder – in this clip, Blackadder helps explain how WWI started. It’s only 2 ½ minutes!! And if you've ever wondered what British humor is...then watch. Frankly, our lack of knowledge can actually change an understanding of history.
7. Atomic Bomb Map - this "film" shows the chronlogy and location of atomic bomb testing in the world. Interestingly, it also keeps of tally of which countries tested (or used) atomic weaponry.
8. The Story of Francis Tomosawa- the story of the young American who lived in Japan throughout the war - including the bombing of Hiroshima. This is an amazing site that gives one a "start to finish" story of Tomosawa's amazing life.

RELATED POINT RECOVERY VIDEOS: Three Kings, Fat Man and Little Boy, Argo, Miss Evers' Boys, God Grew Tired of Us

RELATED IN CLASS ARTIFACTS: Boston Massacre, Concrete/Ammunition (WWI)Newspapers: WWI, Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, The Cold War Ends Newspaper, WWI Propaganda Posters (created by students), God Grew Tired of Us (Movie Poster), Berlin Wall Fall, 9/11 magazines, comic book and newspapers

The Future and Race/Social Justice Issues

1. 2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal - from Time magazine. This is the story about singularity and all that it might entail. Anyone interested in futuristic issues of race and social justice should really read this article.