We share the pain and despair of our African American colleagues and friends! Black lives absolutely matter! Their cause is our cause!
Diversity is beautiful; it’s our strength!
Let’s build community together.
We all have more in common than we have differences.
We must find a way to live, work and love together!
Children learn what they live so it’s never too early to introduce these concepts into their lives.
Here are some resources that introduce and celebrate diversity and address racism and social justice/injustice:
31 CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO SUPPORT CONVERSATIONS ON RACE, RACISM AND RESISTANCE
From embracerace
Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness. To counter this bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible.
Children’s books are one of the most effective and practical tools for initiating these critical conversations; and they can also be used to model what it means to resist and dismantle oppression.
BOOKS ABOUT RACISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
From Common Sense Media
For more great reads for kids and teens, check out our Civil Rights Books and Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners
LOOKING FOR BOOKS ABOUT RACISM? EXPERTS SUGGEST THESE MUST-READ TITLES FOR ADULTS AND KIDS
USA TODAY
June 2, 2020
Best-selling stories to help younger kids:
- “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz
- “Let’s Talk About Race” by Julius Lester
- “The Skin I’m In: A First Look at Racism” by Pat Thomas
- Sesame Street’s “We’re Different, We’re the Same” by Bobbi Jane Kates
- “Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice” by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
- “I Am Enough” by Grace Byers
- “Happy in Our Skin” by Fran Manushkin and Lauren Tobia
- “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement” by Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes
- “Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America” by Jennifer Harvey
- “Daddy Why Am I Brown?: A healthy conversation about skin color and family” by Bedford F. Palmer
- “A Terrible Thing Happened” by Margaret Holmes
- “Antiracist Baby” by Ibram X. Kendi
Books For teens:
- “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
- “Harbor Me” by Jacqueline Woodson
- “This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work” by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand
- “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson
- “Dear White People” by Justin Simie
Black-owned Bookstores to Support
These bookstores run by Black owners offer a slew of titles if you’re looking to shop local.
- Mahogany Books: Bookstore based in Washington, D.C.
- Ashay By the Bay: San Francisco Bay Area kids bookstore
- Harriett’s Bookshop: Philadelphia
- The Lit Bar: Bronx-based bookstore and wine bar
- Sister’s Uptown Bookstore: Family owned and operated bookstore and community space in Manhattan
- Hakim’s Bookstore: Philadelphia’s first and oldest African-American bookstore specializing in Black history
- Cafecon Libros: Feminist, independent bookstore based in Brooklyn, New York
Contributing: Sara M. Moniuszko, USA TODAY.
