Arts Curriculum for the Disenfranchised

Curriculum by William Estrada and Aram Han Sifuentes

The curriculum was created to serve as a free teaching tool for educators who are interested in exploring rich and critical conversations on voter disenfranchisement. The curriculum is meant to be downloaded, modified, played with and shared. We invite you to explore the various possibilities presented through this teaching tool. William Estrada, an artist and art educator, has created posters in eight different languages. These posters can be printed, colored, and displayed in your room, homes, or neighborhood. The posters are meant to serve as a call to action, inviting the person to respond and write why it is important for people who can vote, to vote! It also invites the public to think about the following: What is the purpose of voting? Who can vote? What responsibility do voters have for people who can't vote? Aram Han Sifuentes, the lead artist and educator, has created a PowerPoint presentation that serves as an introduction into the complexities of voter disenfranchisement. The presentation invites the teacher to use it as a primary tool to analyze and engage in deeper conversations on who is not allowed to vote and who is affected by voting laws.

The teaching tools provided are designed with the understanding that educators will modify them however they see fit. Some connections to consider are the women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, making direct connections to inequities found in contemporary society, and by addressing our civic responsibility to vote and working toward making voting as easy and accessible to everyone who lives in this country.

We highly encourage educators to amend any of these materials and share them with colleagues so we may be critical of the complexities that exist in remembering history and collectively build knowledge based on current events.

Arte With Maestro William - Episode 24 - Equality's Call Read Aloud - Spanish/English

Arte With Maestro WIlliam - Episode 25 - Drawing a Flier - Spanglish