Dear Families, 

One important way that Racial Justice Task Force members work toward educating ourselves about white privilege and systemic racism is to select, read, and discuss a variety of relevant and important texts. Because many families include books on their lists of gifts to give and receive, we thought that we would offer a few suggestions and resources.

In her conversation with the founders of EmbraceRace (EmbraceRace/ Why & How to Talk to Young Kids About Race), Dr. Nicol Russell, Vice President of Implementation Research for Teaching Strategies, LLC., notes that while children may not know the word “race”, they do know differences and they do know justice. Dr. Russell has found conversations about race to be most authentic when they are part of a shared activity, such as reading a book together. She especially praises, Our Skin, A First Conversation About Race, by Megan Madison (ages 2-5). 

Suggested Titles (among many wonderful options) 

For Children Ages 2-11

• Our Skin, A First Conversation About Race, by Megan Madison; ages 2-5
•  All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color, by Katie Kissinger; ages 3-6
• Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad, by Henry Cole, (wordless text); ages 3-7: This is a great place to begin a study of African American History. Prior knowledge can be assessed as children discuss what they believe is going on. Later, they can revisit the book and express learned understanding.
  
• The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford; ages 6-9
•  Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi; ages 6-10
• Love Twelve Miles Long, by Glenda Armand and illustrated by Colin Bootman; ages 6-11 (based on the life of Frederick Douglass)
• Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School, by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by London Ladd; ages 7-10 (a young slave secretly learns to read, and at great risk, she teaches other enslaved people)
• Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace, by Jen Cullerton Johnson and illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler; ages 7-11 (story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize) 

For Children Teens and Young Adults 

• Black Was the Ink, by Michelle Coles and illustrated by Justin Johnson; ages teen – young adult (historical fiction set both in present day and in Reconstruction Era America)
• March, by John Lewis; ages middle school age to adult; an autobiographical series of graphic novels (3 volume trilogy); Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of Congressman John Lewis 

For Adults 

• The Souls of Black Folk, by W.E.B Du Bois; adult (Winter-Spring 2021 Racial Justice Book Study selection); the author shares observations and perspective based on his personal experiences as an African American in America (1903)
• The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin; adult (Winter-Spring 2021 Racial Justice Book Study selection); a personal view of American race relations, the civil rights movement, racism and African-American identity
•  The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead; adult (Winter-Spring 2021 Racial Justice Book Study selection); based on research concerning a Florida reform school established in 1900 (Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys) 

Helpful Resources 

Here is a list of the books available in the UCG Library

Racial Literacy: Key Terms — the conscious kid 

AntiRacismDiverseReadingList.pdf (leeandlow.com)  Links to additional resources may be found at the bottom of this list. 

children’s books to support conversations on race, racism, and resistance — the conscious kid 

Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, Second Edition, by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards, with Catherine M. Goins; from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (inclusive educational strategies for educators)