This curriculum unit seeks to help students develop a futurist mindset through examining historical Latine movements that sought to change history and Latinefuturist film and comics that envision a pathway to a more just future. The unit takes the position that educators of historically oppressed youth, who prepare students for an ever unpredictable future, must explicitly teach about the power of cultural and communal identity. Therefore, the unit takes a deep dive into Puerto Rican, Chicano, and Pan-Latine organizations, such as Young Lords and Crusade for Justice, which used the rhetoric of futurity to build a collective, aligned with a common vision of political and social national revolution within the US. From here, the unit moves closer to visualizing the future through an exploration of Latinefuturism genre in film and comics. Examples from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Puerto Rico Strong, and Ricanstruction, tell of ways to build a future through means of traditional practices and technological advancement. The goal of the unit is to help students identify sources of strength and power within their identity, design pathways towards enacting solutions, and imagine a future that relies on community unification and social justice. To develop these skills students will author community manifestos, contribute to a classwide publication, engage in a poetry slam, and develop futurist comics. Students will culminate their learning through creating a project that depicts their conception of the future and reflecting on the importance of cultivating a futurist mindset.
(Developed for English II, grade 10; recommended for English Language Arts, Social Studies, Latino/a/e/ Studies, and Creative Writing, grades 8-12)
