Social Justice Reading List
Reading lists for teens and adults, and readings related to teaching children about race, racism, slavery, and racial terror lynching.
Readings for Teens
- A Very Large Expanse of Sea - Tahereh Mafi
- All American Boys - Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
- All-American Muslim Girl - Nadine Jolie Courtney
- Anger is a Gift - Mark Oshiro
- Dear Martin - Nic Stone
- Here to Stay - Sara Farizan
- How I Resist - Maureen Johnson
- March Series - John Lewis
- Out of Darkness - Ashley Hope Perez
- Piecing Me Together - Renee Watson
-
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning - Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.
- Slay - Brittney Morris
- The Good Braider - Terry Farish
- The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
- The Lines We Cross - Randa Abdel-Fattah
- The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights - Steve Sheinkin
Reading for Adults
- Between the World and Me - Ta'Nehesi Coates
- Blackballed: The Black Vote and US Democracy - Darryl Pinckney
- Ebony & Ivory: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities - Craig Wilder
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower - Brittney Cooper
- For White Folks Who Teach In the 'Hood…And the Rest of Y'all, Too - Christopher Emdin
- How To Be An Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi
- Men We Reaped - Jessmyn Ward
- Of Poetry & Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin - Philip Cushway
- Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America - Melissa Harris-Perry
- So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America - Ibram X. Kendi
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander
- We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy - Ta'Nehesi Coates
- When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir Patrisse Khan - Cullors & Asha Bandele
- White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Race Robin - DiAngelo
- A Reading List on Issues of Race. The Harvard Gazette.
Readings Related to Teaching Children about Race, Racism, Slavery, and Racial Terror Lynching
- RES (Racial and Ethnic Socialization): Developed by the American Psychological Association, this resource focuses on building and reinforcing positive outcomes in African American children. The resources are directed towards parents, caregivers, and educators of African American children and youth (ages 5-18).
- Engaging my Child: Towards the bottom of the parent resource page, there is a break-down of discussing race and ethnicity by the age of child.
- EmbraceRace: This non-profit describes itself as “a multiracial community of parents, teachers, experts, and other caring adults who support each other to meet the challenges that race poses to our children, families, and communities.” Scroll the webinars to listen to or read the transcripts of them—don’t miss “How Children Learn about Race” and “How to Address Racial Injustice with Young Children” in this section. Tips and recommendations related to book selection are found throughout the site.
- Teaching for Change: Building Social Justice Starting in the Classroom has a “Teaching Resources” section of its website that includes everything from overarching themes like Anti-Bias Education to specific topics like Civil Rights. The News section is incredibly helpful in keeping up with the latest happening in and adjacent to the field. The thought-piece on “When and How to Talk with Young Children about Enslavement: Discussion Questions for Educators” within News provides good questions for conversation and consideration
- Teaching Tolerance: “Let’s Talk: Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students” is one of Learning for Justice’s many helpful resources. The pamphlet focuses on facilitating difficult dialogues with student groups. It includes a self-reflection section, facilitation techniques, and suggestions for adjusting strategies for K-5 students.
- Learning for Justice's blog post: This blog post on Learning for Justice’s website includes a helpful quick reference of do’s and don’ts for teaching slavery to students.
- DC Area Educators 4 Social Justice: For educators seeking to connect with and meaningfully contribute to what the community is already doing, this is a great network to be a part of.
- Talk with Children about Slavery: This resource was developed by a mom and activist who wanted to help others talk to their kids about race, social justice, and other crucial issues. Her blog links to a lot of other resources beyond her own.
- Smithsonian Magazine, Indigenous Peoples’ Day: A useful article with links to additional resources as we rethink programming around what was Columbus Day and is now recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Alexandria.
- Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News: From Child Mind Institute, on supporting your children during scary times.
- Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism: From PBS Kids -- Children are never too young to learn about diversity. Includes video of a virtual event.
- Talking to Kids about Racism: Marie Tae McDermott, in the New York Times. A school counselor and a children’s book author offer advice for talking to children about racism and George Floyd.