Rethinking Schools publishes some of the best educational materials for teachers who want to open their students’ eyes to the world around them. One of their most recent publications is titled Teaching for Black Lives. This volume of essays, teacher experiences, and lesson ideas is essential reading for all teachers at this moment in our […]
“My hope for all readers is that they will shut the book and run out and protest. That’s what I always expect people to do. They seldom do it.” Barbara Ehrenreich We have plenty of books about addressing racism on our website. But right now, we encourage everyone who possibly can to put on a face […]
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles Illustrated by Jerome Lagarique Segregation, Friendship, Empathy Racism isn’t about people far away from us. It is about individuals close to all of us. Following the lifting of segregation in 1964, two boys, one white, one black, who are good friends plan to go swimming in the town pool. They […]
~ Books and activities that address black history and the civil rights movement ~ Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters by Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick L. McKissack Slavery -Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper -Slavery UE/M -Day of Tears by Julius Lester -Slavery -Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis -Slavery -Freedom Summer […]
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Author Linda Lowery Illustrator Hetty Mitchell This title fits these categories: Racial awareness: Shows diverse people living their lives in realistic ways. Racial pride: Provides strong, positive role model for children Racial issue: Shows historical or contemporary inequality based on race. Activism Shows ways we can make a difference. Acceptable grade levels Preschool through 3rd […]
Martin Luther King Day celebrates the life of a man who made a major mark on history and has inspired the words and thoughts of many. What will you do in his memory today? “It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.” […]
~Does the Past Foreshadow the Future? ~ The choice to remember, and why and how to remember are explored in the memoir Where Angels Lived by Margaret McMullen as she discovers her lost Jewish relatives in Hungary. The family’s traits, both physical and behavioral, become evidence linking the past to the present. The historical past […]
~ The Picture Book of Rosa Parks ~ Author David Adler Illustrator Robert Casilla Despite the title, recommended for 3rd and up due to the historical detail Picture Book of Rosa Parks Summary This book is a biography of the great Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks. Beautifully illustrated, it provides children with a strong […]
~ The Power of Words ~ It is impossible to listen to the news and not be struck by the way words are being used to cover up hateful actions and outright lies by our leaders and politicians. Words are powerful as Martin Luther King knew. The 2002 Caldecott Honor children’s picture book Martin’s Big […]
Written by MaryBeth Lorbiecki, Sister Anne’s Hands, is set in the 1960s. Told from the viewpoint of a white second grade girl, this is the story of a nun with dark skin who comes to teach in an all white Catholic school. The young narrator has never seen a black person before. She comes to love and […]
Many people played a role in the Civil Rights Movement. She Stood for Freedom is a brand new children’s book that tells the story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Although raised in the South and surrounded by segregation, Joan was angered by the unfair treatment of people because of the color of their skin. In 1960, despite […]
We March by Shane W. Evans is a book about standing up for justice written for our youngest children and for early readers. The soft pastel illustrations show a family as they wake up early in the morning, prepare for the day, and then join thousands of other people for the August 28th, 1963 […]
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