To say the last week has been hard would be an understatement. On Tuesday evening, a gunman killed six Asian women and two others in attacks on spas across Atlanta, Georgia. We must call this for what it was: a hate crime and one of the worst forms of racism, murder. To help the nation address the anti-AAPI racism and help our community heal, we have created a list of 20 diverse books for educators, families, and librarians to use with your students on our website. There are 10 picture books and 10 young adult novels to address Anti-AAPI Racism, empower our AAPI Community, and provide counternarratives. Each book (besides one) is written by an amazing AAPI author. Please remember that you have future adults in your classrooms, homes, and libraries. You can have an impact on them and help them challenge anti-AAPI racism. Together, by centering AAPI voices and experiences, we can heal our community!
2021 Read Across America with Colorful Pages Week
Instead of Dr. Seuss Day or General Read Across America Day, participate in 2021 Read Across America with Colorful Pages Week. In our program, we aim to redress the harm that Dr. Seuss has done by uplifting diverse books and BIPOC authors throughout the week. Check out this article to get a unit plan, worksheets, book list, and more online free resources!
Diverse Books to Help PreK-5 Students Begin to Process the U.S. Capitol Terrorism (A Quick List)
Many of us watched all day as the news unfolded today, including our kiddos! Our Grades PreK-5 students ARE seeing the affects of the news on their grown-ups and/or seeing the news themselves. Just like our older students, they need a place to process through the events of the US Capitol Terrorism. We hope this quick list of diverse books helps you start to brainstorm the right plans for your kiddos tomorrow as we all navigate this extreme hurt and distrust.
World Kindness Day: K-5 Lesson Plan & Materials
Happy (almost) World Kindness Day! November 13th is World Kindness Day and oh goodness does our world need some more kindness in it. This year, I wanted to revamp my typical Kindness Lesson for World Kindness Day and center it around a new diverse book that was just published this October! Check out the lesson plan and resources below to center kindness in your own K-5 classroom.
Anti-Racist Books for Middle and High School Students
It is incredibly important to teach race, racism, and anti-racism within students at all ages. I am hoping that you are able gather some resources from this Anti-Racist Books for Middle and High School Students post. Every book on this list is written by an author of color because I feel we, as Black Indigenous, People of Color, need to be the ones to tell these stories since we are the ones that have experienced the racism discussed within them. I have listed 18 books for middle school and high school students: 5 diverse books about race and identity; 8 books about racism, prejudice, and anti-racism in a modern context; and 5 books about racism, prejudice, and anti-racism in a historical context.
Read About Racism & Our History: Diverse Books for Students
The most patriotic thing we can do is to constantly strive for our nation to be better, more equitable, and just. So, today (and every day), sit down with your kiddos, delve into racism in our American History, and talk about next steps to redress the harm. Here are some books to Read About Racism & Our History.
Anti-Racist Books for Elementary Students: A Diverse Book List
It is incredibly important that we talk about race, racism, and anti-racism with our kiddos starting at a young age. I have listed 16 books altogether: 4 diverse books about race; 5 books about racism, prejudice, and anti-racism in a modern context; and 7 books about racism, prejudice, and anti-racism in a historical context. Every book on this list is written by an author of color because I feel we, as Black Indigenous, People of Color, need to be the ones to tell these stories since we are the ones that have experienced the racism discussed within them. Hopefully our Anti-Racist Book List for Elementary Students can help inspire you to bring these conversations to your classroom, home, and/or library!
Black Heroes in History: Grades K-5 Learning Activities
In this lesson, students will start to learn more about Black History through researching Black Heroes in History. Depending on the grade level and setting, students will participate in research through an adult read aloud, YouTube video, and/or an article. Then, they will be asked to complete a worksheet where they will write about the facts they learned about the Black Heroes in History. This is a great lesson to START to talk about Black History and introduce students to some key Black Heroes. You can also do the lesson multiple times with different Black Heroes in History. But, please make sure the conversations do not just stop here! There are many important heroes, events, and concepts in Black History that need to be taught year-round.
#BlackLivesMatter: K-8 Distance Learning Activities for Justice for George Floyd
In these Distance Learning Activities, students and you will learn about and process: Black Lives Matter, racial injustice, and the murder of George Floyd. To do this, you will use discussions and videos or read alouds. Then, students will get the chance to take action and stand up for Black Lives Matter and George Floyd by picking a Black Lives Matter Project to do. There are four choices for them to pick from including: art, writing, and letter writing.
Kings & Counternarratives: 8 Books Featuring Black Male Characters
Recently, our country was harmed by another racist tragedy. Therefore, as an actionable step to help address racism towards the Black community, I have created a list of books featuring Black male characters to act as counternarratives. I chose to list 8 books (4 picture books, 2 middle grade books, and 2 young adult books) in remembrance of Ahmaud Arbery because his birthday is today, May 8th. Each of these books are written by Black authors and most are written by Black men.
