Police Brutality in America Teach-Out

Now that you’ve completed the Understanding the Impact of Police Violence section of this Teach-Out, we’d like you to take a few minutes to do something creative. 

Have you ever heard of something called the “Six-Word Memoir” or “Six-Word Story?” If not, don’t worry. It’s a fun way to simply and concisely express yourself. 

The writer Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in six words. He came up with: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Later, Smith Magazine challenged its readers to submit a six-word memoir. They got thousands of submissions: 

• I like big butts, can’t lie. [submitted by a teenager] 
• Cursed with cancer. Blessed with friends. [submitted by a grandmother with cancer] 
• I still make coffee for two. [submitted by an elderly widower, Zak Nelson] 
• She said she was negative. Damn. [by Ryan McRae] 
• Joined Army. Came out. Got booted. [by Johan Baumeister] 
• Mom died, Dad screwed us over. [by Lesley Kysely] 
• Fourteen years old, story still untold [by David Gidwani] 
• I like girls. Girls like boys. [Andrea Dela Cruz] 

So, your challenge is to write a six word story about how you feel about the police, or an experience you’ve had with the police, or how you feel after watching the young man’s story about his experience with the police. You can choose anything you want. Here’s a few to get you started. 

• Walked outside. Did nothing. Cop Harassed. [by Mariame] 
• Cops said my bruises would fade. [by Mariame]

Adapted for this Teach-Out from Mariame Kaba, Project NIA (2013) – www.project-nia.org