Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In the 1940s, two psychologists—Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark—performed a landmark social experiment to learn about the psychological consequences of segregation on African American children. This social experiment would later be referred to as “the doll tests.” What happened during this experiment? What did Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark learn as a result of these experiments?

Teaching Suggestion: For students unfamiliar with “the doll tests,” it may be helpful to spend time reviewing their history and larger significance by reading and discussing sources such as the articles below or other resources to investigate the subject further. The “doll tests” repeatedly proved that segregation caused deeply harmful Colorism in Black children.

• This article from Smithsonian magazine discusses the impact of the experiments.
• This article from the website History details the connection between the experiments and the landmark court case.

2. In a 2019 study from Drug and Alcohol Dependence, it was found that “across 17 states in 2002-2014, opioid overdoses were concentrated in more economically disadvantaged zip codes, indicated by higher rates of poverty and unemployment as well as lower education and median household income.