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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Carter from Los Angeles, CA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Carter is requesting

Examining the 1940's Through the Eyes of Zoot Suiters

My students need 35 copies of "Zoot Suit and Other Plays".

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Carter's classroom raised $476

This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

While the world was at war in the 1940s, some of the teenagers and young adults were having their own culture war in the States. My students need to learn about the "Pachuco Riots" that occurred only a few miles from our school. What conditions led to the riots, and do those conditions still exist?

My students arrive to our urban high school with dreams of going to college, and most of them will be the first in their family to attend.

More than 75% of our students are eligible for the federal lunch program. The student body is 55% African American and 45% Latino. Most of my students are enrolled in the Police Academy, Law and Public Service Magnet, or Math Science Magnet program. They hope to be police officers, attorneys, and crime scene investigators. The teachers in my program look for ways to connect our students' interest in law enforcement,public service, and science with the curriculum. Last year, two students brought me the play Zoot Suit and asked if we could read it as a class. I hunted up a few copies and students sat in twos or threes, sharing books. The play was a success as students made connections to the history and their lives today. I hope to recreate that magic this year with my senior English classes.

My Project

Having copies of Zoot Suit will allow my students to reenact the Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the Pachuco Riots of the 1940's. In a neighborhood known for violence, we are working toward the goal of eliminating the conditions that caused the murder and the riot. Students will start with Luis Valdez's play and add research from other sources. Using the skills they learned in their Police Academy, Juvenile Law, and Forensic Science classes, students take on the roles of detectives, attorneys, and scientists assigned to the Zoot Suit case. Some students will take on roles of witnesses, victims, and the accused. The unit will culminate with a Mock Trial in which my students argue their case before 12 students who have not studied the play. The jury will determine who is responsible for the murder and the riot: the teenage gang, the soldiers on leave, the police department, the parents of the teens, and/or society at large.

It has been said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.

I hope that my students, the police officers and attorneys of the future, will avoid the mistakes made by the justice system of the 1940's and make decisions based on the facts rather than their own prejudices. I hope my teens will see how their actions can cause or avert violence. Please support us in our goal of helping to eliminate violence from our community.

Mrs. Carter Susan Miller Dorsey High School Grades 9-12

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Los Angeles, CA View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

70 students impacted 8donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Zoot Suit and Other Plays Luis Valdez • Barnes and Noble $9.53 35 $333.55

Materials cost

$333.55

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $30.52

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.00

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$404.07

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$71.31

Total project goal

$475.38

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $475.38

4 Donors

-$127.00

Donations toward project cost

-$110.20

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$16.80

match offer

-$345.73

Match offer toward project cost

-$293.87

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$51.86

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$2.65

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Carter and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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