All God’s Chillun’ Got Shoes, 1947, color lithograph, 12 ¾ “ x 18 ¾ “ plate
1. Project this image to students. Give the class an appropriate time to silently observe. Then ask them to write down everything they noticed about this picture. Give them 2 minutes to write. If you think it would help your students, you could project the following questions.
-Where does your eye go first?
-What is happening here?
-Where is the staircase going?
-What is the angel doing?
2. It would also be great to play the spiritual by the same name before you look at the picture. After the students have written down what they have noticed, have them pair or form small groups to discuss what they noticed. Have them present their findings to the whole class.
3.Talk about the Eastern Shore culture during the 1940’s. The Bay Bridge didn’t open until 1964 so this part of the state was isolated and still very segregated. The U. S. had already used atomic weapons against Japan and the Civil Rights Movement was gaining strength and support throughout parts of the country. The Korean War was raging and the Cold War was looming on the horizon. Black servicemen who had honorably served their country in a semi-integrated military, risking their lives for the freedom of others in Europe, returned home to a racist and segregated America. Jim Crow laws were prevalent in the South along with voter suppression.
4. Express to your students that for many Black people at the time Heaven represented a world of freedom beyond the constraints of segregation. They believed that even though their lives on Earth had been full of hardship, their time in Heaven was going to be full of all the good things they had always wanted including the things that they could not afford on Earth, such as shoes.
5.Talk about what a “status symbol” is and why shoes would be considered a status symbol in the 1940s? Have students offer examples of current status symbols and express how different people make an outward show of their status symbols. (If your students are not comfortable with discussing this out loud, have them write it down.)
Optional extra activities:
Have students research the history of shoes to find out why they are so coveted and present a time-line or research project about shoes
Have students draw or paint the absolute best shoe to them
MD State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1/CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
Music: Cn11:E:3-5:1/Cn11:E:6-8:1/Cn10:I:3-5:3/Cn10:I:6-8:3
Art: Cr2:E:3:3-5:2/Cr2:E:6-8:2
W.3.1/W.4.1/W.5.1&W.6.3/W.7.3/W.8.3