I confess that I have never been a huge Shakespeare fan, and I have never read or seen the play, Othello. But when I first came across this short film from 2017 by artist, Phoebe Boswell, I was captivated by her poetic interrogation of the playwright about his intentions when he created the main character, “the Moor” in Othello. Boswell’s amazing masterpiece questioning Shakespeare’s tragic play is intensely thought-provoking, as she manages to compare the racism that surely existed during Shakespeare’s lifetime to its continued hold on our current society. When I finished watching, I immediately wished that I was teaching high school again so that I could invite my students to analyze the play and Boswell’s response.
Dear Mr. Shakespeare simultaneously highlights how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go. This is why I’ve committed to devoting one post a week to the topic of anti-racism, hoping that an educator will use one or more of these resources to help eradicate the bigotry and stereotypes that linger today.
Here are my past anti-racism posts in case you have missed them:
- Why We Must Not Cancel the Holocaust
- Lessons Learned
- Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
- Anti-Racist Resource Guide
- Systemic Racism Explained
- Stamped Digital Readers Notebook
- Brainpop: Black Lives Matter Protests
- 21-Day Challenge
- When Your “President” Says “Kung Flu”
- Bias
- Texts for Talking About Race
- I Don’t See Color
Also, for more amazing anti-racism resources, check out the Live Binder curated by Joy Kirr.
