From Trinidad to Brooklyn: Stories of Resilience
From Trinidad to Brooklyn: Stories of Resilience A Partnership Between Re-Imagining Migration and Documented
About This Partnership
Re-Imagining Migration has partnered with Documented, a nonprofit independent news organization serving immigrant communities, to create free, adaptable curriculum modules that help high school teachers use high-quality, community-driven journalism to build an authentic understanding of immigration experiences while strengthening democratic engagement across differences.
Lesson Overview
This two-day high school lesson uses Ralph Thomassaint Joseph‘s article about Sherwin Williams’ migration story from Documented NY as an entry point for students to understand the emotional complexity of migration experiences. After analyzing his journey from Trinidad to Brooklyn, students use objects as symbols to represent and share deeper insights about migration, identity, and resilience within their own families.
Grade Levels: High School, Middle School
Types: Lessons
Questions: How should we teach about migration?
Subject Areas: Civics, English, Social Studies
Key Details
- Duration: 2 days (50-minute class periods)
- Grade Level: High School (9-12), easily adaptable
- Subject Integration: Social Studies, English Language Arts
Essential Questions
- What can we learn from the visible and invisible stories of migration around us?
- What can we learn from Sherwin Williams’ migration story about resilience and adaptation?
- How can we share stories of migration with understanding and compassion?
Learning Objectives
Knowledge Outcomes – Students will understand:
- Migration experiences involve complex emotional journeys of adaptation and resilience
- Every family has stories of movement, change, or overcoming challenges
- Adaptation and resilience are universal human experiences that take different forms across communities
- Personal narratives reveal both visible and invisible aspects of human experiences
Skills Outcomes – Students will be able to:
- Analyze personal narratives to understand the emotional complexity of migration and adaptation
- Connect migration stories to their own family experiences of overcoming challenges
- Share personal narratives with sensitivity and respect while listening actively to others
- Recognize universal themes of resilience across diverse family experiences
Day 1: Understanding Sherwin’s Journey
Students begin with personal reflection on adaptation experiences, then read and analyze Sherwin Williams’ story using Project Zero’s “See-Feel-Think-Wonder” thinking routine. They work in pairs to identify emotionally significant objects from his story and analyze what they reveal about universal themes of resilience, cultural identity, and community building.
Day 2: Sharing Stories of Resilience
Students connect the previous day’s learning to their own family stories, prepare personal narratives about adaptation and resilience, and share these stories in small groups using a structured protocol for respectful listening. The lesson concludes with collective reflection on building welcoming communities.
Materials Needed
- Printed copies of Sherwin Williams’ story from Documented NY
- Chart paper and markers
- Students’ meaningful family objects (Day 2)
- Post-it notes and poster paper for final reflection