SOMETHING TO POINT TO

Something To Point To is an educational and community engagement initiative intended to develop a deeper connection to worker identity and the dignity of work and a clearer understanding of the history of the labor movement and its legacy today. Aligned with Working In DC, this project is an extension of a public musical theatre performance, elevating the profile of the working class through the power of the arts in collaboration with the Labor Heritage Foundation. The purpose of this project is to use conversation, storytelling, and the arts as  engagement tools to increase awareness of labor and working class issues for students of all ages and the wider Washington, DC community. Our educational initiative Something To Point To encourages students to learn about and reflect upon work as a valuable contribution and something they can be proud to point to!
 
The Something To Point To project is divided into three separate engagement opportunities:
When you tell the story of your work life, what do you point to? Whatever jobs you’ve held, working has probably been a central part of your life. It’s how we earn a living, but work is not just about a paycheck. A job can be a source of pride and a source of struggle, a place where we connect with each other or where we feel invisible or mistreated. During these one hour conversations prior to the show, audience and community members will participate in small group discussions about what it means to work in DC and how that work shaped who we are in the society surrounding us. To participate in the Curated Conversations, reserve your show tickets for 9/04 or 9/19. These conversations will take place at 6:00pm in front of the AFL-CIO building.
In partnership with the Humanities Truck, audience members will have the opportunity to share stories about the work they can point to and are proud of in DC. These stories will be recorded and shared through a community archive to be viewed during and after the production. The Humanities Truck will also feature an art installation by Professor Ludy Grandas of American American University. To participate in the Humanities Truck oral history collection project, reserve your show tickets for 9/11 or 9/17. The truck will be available before and after the show. 
Middle and High school students will learn about and reflect upon work as a valuable contribution and something they can be proud to point to! Classes will participate in a one-time, hour-long, virtual workshop, in alignment with the themes of Working: A Musical. The goals of the workshop are to:
  • Have Middle and High School students identify, capture, and celebrate physical or relational work they have engaged in or observed through arts integration.
  • Discover and recognize those whose work has been silenced, marginalized, or oppressed in our communities.
  • Provide a platform that educates students on the history of the labor movement and its legacies today, integrating an investigative approach to workers identity and the dignity of work. 
We will utilize the Zinn Education Project to develop lesson plans for DC Public and Public Charter Schools that aligns themes from the production with Labor History curricula. 
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.5: Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2: Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
If you are interested in having your Middle or High School class engage in the Something To Point To project, or attend the live production through September 19th, please contact Trés McMichael at community@workingindc.orgÂ