Affirming Black Lives in School: Teachers, Administrators, Students
🔖NOTE: We recommend bookmarking this doc as it contains an ever-growing number of racial justice resources (150+).
Why did we create this document?
We created this document with an understanding that racism has deep, tangled roots in American history, culture, and schools. In solidarity with the ongoing protests for racial equity across the country, we recognize that many others have gone before us in the fight for justice. We acknowledge that many Americans - including teachers - are beginning the journey to a deeper understanding of race and the history of racism. While we are not experts, we want to help those who are also willing to do the hard work to become an anti-racist.
What and who is this document for?
This document is a curated list of resources (books, videos, articles, etc.) organized specifically for educational stakeholders (teachers, administrators, students, families) interested in learning more about racial justice. We understand folks are coming to this work with a diverse range of experiences and the resources included represent a wide range of sources (with an emphasis on voices of color).
This is meant to be an organized "starting place" for anyone who is looking to learn more about issues of race, justice, and privilege with an intentional lens toward America's educational system. The resource lists below are in no way exhaustive. This is a "living" document that we will update periodically.
Note: here is a list of black-owned bookstores where you can buy many of the books listed below.
Where can I submit a suggestion?
If you find other helpful resources that are not mentioned below or have general feedback, please fill out this feedback form. We appreciate your feedback and willingness to learn alongside us.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Resources for Teachers and School Administrators
For any school personnel interested in expanding their own understanding of racial justice
📚 Non-Fiction Books for Teachers + Admins
📚 Fiction Books for Teachers + Admins
🎥 Videos for Teachers + Admins
🖥 Other Resources for Teachers + Admins
Part 2: Resources for Creating Curriculum
For any teacher interested in bringing more culturally-responsive pedagogy and lessons into their classroom
📚 Books for Creating Curriculum (All Classrooms)
🎥 Videos and More for Creating Curriculum (All Classrooms)
b) Humanities
📚 Books for Creating Curriculum (Humanities)
📖 Short Stories and Poems for Creating Curriculum (Humanities)
🎥 Videos and More for Creating Curriculum (Humanities)
c) STEM
📚 Books for Creating Curriculum (STEM)
🎥 Videos and More for Creating Curriculum (STEM)
Part 3: Resources for Students and Families
For any student (K-12) and family who want to explore racial justice together
📚 Books for Students and Families (Middle and High School)
📚 Books for Students and Families (Elementary School)
Part 1: Resources for Teachers and School Administrators
Books (Non-Fiction) Books (Fiction) Videos Other Resources
📚 Non-Fiction Books for Teachers + Admins
📚 Fiction Books for Teachers + Admins
Cover | Title + Author | Cover | Title + Author | |
Colson Whitehead | Tayari Jones | |||
Toni Morrison | Ta-Nehisi Coates | |||
Chinua Achebe | Bernardine Evaristo | |||
James Baldwin | Jesmyn Ward | |||
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Octavia Butler | |||
Ann Petry | Ayana Mathis | |||
Yaa Gyasi |
🎥 Videos for Teachers and Admins
Image | Video | Notes | ||||
Equal Justice Initiative and Molly Crabapple | YouTube 6 min The myth of racial difference created to sustain American slavery persists today. Slavery did not end in 1865, it evolved. | Mark Lopez (director) | Vimeo 18 min This compelling animated story examines the forgotten history of how our governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law and policy. | |||
Ava DuVernay (director) | Documentary 100 min Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans. | United Shades of America S4E8: Toxic America W. Kamau Bell (host) | TV Episode 42 min Kamau visits schools and communities in Philadelphia and nearby Chester to explore the effects of toxicity that have polluted the area and poisoned the people. | |||
Ava DuVernay (director) | Mini-Series 4 Episodes (between 64 min and 88 min each) Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story. | Davis Guggenheim (director) | Documentary 102 min This film dissects public education and how it fails millions of students and explores the innovative approaches by leaders in order to reshape and reform the system. | |||
Teach Us All | Documentary 80 min | Lee Mun Wah (director) | Documentary 90 min An insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight different men. | |||
Ep1: Spoiler Alert - Segregation is Still Here Nikole Hannah Jones (guest) | Vimeo Show (The Next Question) 46 min An eye-opening roundtable conversation with powerful women covering the state of education in America and the threads of segregation that still plague this public good. | Michéle Stephenson, Joe Brewster (directors) | Documentary 154 min A film that follows two boys through the intense prep-school process. This documentary takes a personal look at how the opportunity gap affects African-American boys. | |||
Frontline with Jane Elliot | Documentary 53 min The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. | This Is Why Juneteenth Is Important for America The Root | YouTube Video 3 min An introduction to Juneteenth - the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States | |||
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man Emmanuel Acho | YouTube Series A series of videos featuring uncomfortable conversations about race that many folks have never been able to have. | Sonia Lowman (Director) | Documentary 95 min | |||
Steve James (Director) | Documentary Series 10 episodes (between 58 and 89 min each) Filmmaker Steve James examines racial, economic and class issues in contemporary American education in this unscripted documentary series. Students, families, faculty and administration tell stories of the pressures and challenges teens face today in their own words. |
🖥 Other Resources for Teachers and Admins
Image | Link | Notes | Image | Link | Notes | |
Nikole Hannah-Jones | Article | What the data say about police shootings Lynne Peeples | Article (Research) | |||
Racial Equity Toolkit Professional Development Guides WK Kellog Foundation | Conversation Frameworks | Harvard | Test and resources about implicit social cognition | |||
A Tale of Two School Districts Code Switch | Podcast | Noliwe Rooks | Podcast, Article | |||
Harvard EdCast: Racial Differences in Special Education Identification Harvard EdCast (Jill Anderson) | Podcast, Article | Dr. Desmond Ang | Article, Research | |||
Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist Unlocking Us | Podcast | School-To-Prison Pipeline: Rethinking Zero-Tolerance Discipline Theory of Change | Podcast | |||
Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma* Dr. Candice Nicole | Meditation (audio) *this could be good for students as well (especially Black students | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Article | |||
The Daily (Spotify) | Podcast 30 min |
Part 2: Resources for Creating Curriculum
To help keep things organized, we split these resources into three subsections based on their domain: Humanities, STEM, or all classrooms. The resources in each subsection are meant for middle and high school teachers looking to create lessons that intentionally affirm black lives and experiences.
While our "All Classrooms" resource lists are helpful for any teacher, resources specifically for elementary school classrooms can be found in this kid-friendly reading list.
All Classrooms | Humanities | STEM |
All Classrooms
📚 Books for Creating Curriculum (All Classrooms)
Image | Book | Purpose | Image | Book | Purpose | |
Zaretta L Hammond | Pedagogy | Dr. Christopher Emdin | Pedagogy | |||
Dyan Watson, Jesse Hagopian, Wayne Au | Pedagogy | We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom Bettina L. Love | Pedagogy | |||
The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys Eddie Moore, Marguerite W. Penick-Parks, Allison S. Michael | Pedagogy | We Got This.: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be Cornelius Minor | Pedagogy |
🎥 Videos and More for Creating Curriculum (All Classrooms)
Image | Resource | Type | Image | Resource | Type | |
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Ted Talk 18 min | Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation | Article, Activity | |||
Teaching the News: Protests Over Violence Against the Black Community Newsela | Webinar 13 min | DeRay Mckesson on digital activism and Black Lives Matter The Verge | Video 5 min Good conversation starter (Middle + High School) | |||
Articles, | Mark Lopez (director) | Video 17 min This compelling animated story examines the forgotten history of how our governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law and policy. |
Humanities
📚 Books for Creating Curriculum (Humanities)
Image | Book | Genre | Image | Book | Genre | |
W. E. B. Du Bois | Literature | The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Isabel Wilkerson | History | |||
Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II Douglas A. Blackmon | History | Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom David W. Blight | History (Biography) | |||
A Black Women's History of the United States Daina Ramey Berry, Kali Nicole Gross | History | Nell Irvin Painter | History | |||
The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader David Levering Lewis | Fiction Non-fiction Poetry | Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877 Eric Foner | History | |||
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass | History/ Autobiography | Clarence Thomas | Memoir |
📖 Short Stories and Poems for Creating Curriculum (Humanities)
Image | Info | Notes | Image | Book | Notes | |
Zora Neale Hurston | High School Short Story | James Baldwin | High School Short Story | |||
Toni Cade Bambara | High School Short Story | Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self Danielle Evans | High School Collection of short stories | |||
All the Names They Used for God Anjali Sachdeva | High School Collection of short stories | ZZ Packer From the book, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere | High School Short story | |||
How Long 'til Black Future Month? N.K. Jemisin | High School Collection of short stories | Toni Cade Bambara | High School Collection of short stories | |||
Langston Hughes | Middle School Short Story | Maya Angelou | Middle School Short Story | |||
My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter Aja Monet | High School Book of poetry | Common, John Legend | All Grades Song/Poetry | |||
Maya Angelou | Middle and High School Poem | Lift Every Voice and Sing (Black National Anthem) James Weldon Johnson | All Grades Poem/Song | |||
Lauryn Hill | High School Song/Poetry | Gwendolyn Brooks | Middle and High School Poem | |||
Dreams Are Illegal in the Ghetto Twin Poets | Middle and High School Spoken Word Poem | Natasha Trethewey | Middle and High School Poem | |||
Elizabeth Alexander | High School Poem | Jacqueline Woodson | Middle School Poem | |||
Mahogany L. Browne, Jess X. Snow (Illustrator) | Middle and High School Poem/Book | The Hill We Climb Amanda Gorman | Middle and High School Poem |
🎥 Videos and More for Creating Curriculum (Humanities)
Image | Resource | Notes | Image | Resource | Notes | |
Martin Luther King Jr. | Article | Resources on how to incorporate The 1619 Project into your classroom | Podcast | |||
Twitter thread from @michaelharriot Michael Harriot | Topic: avoid white-washing of MLK's legacy and strategy | Black Wall Street: The African American Haven That Burned and Then Rose From the Ashes Victor Luckerson | Article | |||
Twitter thread from @ericabuddington Erica Buddington | Topic: history of racial violence in the United States | Facing America's History of Racial Violence Facing History | Article, Framework, Lessons | |||
Vera Ahiyya Teacher (K) | Focus: sharing diverse books for younger kids and classrooms Elementary School | LaNesha Tabb Teacher (K-2) | Focus: creative classroom resources/ideas including many on affirming identity and background of all students Elementary School | |||
Naomi O'Brien Teacher (K-2) | Focus: wide range of practical and creative resources for families/teachers including kid-friendly guides on racism Elementary School | Ryse T Teacher (6th) | Focus: anti-bias, anti-racist books and resources Middle School | |||
"I Am A Slave" - The Roots Meet Schoolhouse Rock black-ish (TV Show, ABC) | Two short music clips (appropriate for all ages) focused on the history of Juneteenth and the fight to end slavery. | Teaching Tolerance | The history of Juneteenth acknowledges hard history while also empowering students to be advocates for change. |
STEM
📚 Books for Creating Curriculum (STEM)
Image | Book | Genre | Image | Book | Genre | |
Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers (2nd edition) Eric (Rico) Gutstein, Bob Peterson | Pedagogy, Curriculum | Margot Lee Shetterly | Non-Fiction | |||
Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project Robert P. Moses, Charles E. Cobb | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction |
🎥 Videos and More for Creating Curriculum (STEM)
Image | Resource | Notes | Image | Resource | Notes | |
Movie (HBO) | Science Curriculum | |||||
HHMI | Video, Activity | CalAcade | Activity, Lesson Plan | |||
Diversity in STEM (Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers) PBS | Video Series | Medical Apartheid: Teaching the Tuskegee Syphilis Study | Article, Activity | |||
Coronavirus and Racial Disparities ADL | Lesson Plans |
| Twitter hashtags that showcase Black STEM excellence | |||
How Black Girls Benefit When Math has Social Interaction and Ways to Learn Together KQED | Article | Social Justice in the Science Classroom NSTA | Article, Other Resources | |||
African-American inventors and scientists | Lists, Articles | African-American mathematicians | Lists, Articles | |||
Lesson Plans, Other Resources | Can mathematics be antiracist? Tian An | Blog Post | ||||
(Science) | (Math) | Exploring what makes us different (Science) |
Part 3: Resources for Students and Families
Books (Middle and High School) Books (Elementary School)
📚 Books for Students and Families (Middle and High School)
Image | Book | Notes | Image | Book | Notes | |
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice Bryan Stevenson | Middle and High School Non-fiction | Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely | Middle and High School Fiction | |||
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You Ibram X Kendi and Jason Reynolds | Middle and High School Non-fiction | It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers) Trevor Noah | Middle School Non-Fiction | |||
Nic Stone | Middle and High School Fiction | Jacqueline Woodson | Middle School Fiction | |||
Angie Thomas | Middle and High School Fiction | This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work | Middle and High School Non-Fiction | |||
Jason Reynolds | High School Fiction | Shuri: A Black Panther Novel (Marvel) Nic Stone | Middle School Fiction | |||
Julian Winters | High School Fiction | Leah Johnson | High School Fiction | |||
Kwame Alexander | Middle and High School Fiction | Ashley Woodfolk | High School Fiction | |||
Tomi Adeyemi | High School Fiction (Fantasy) | Nnedi Okorafor | Middle School Fiction (Fantasy) |
📚 Books for Students and Families (Elementary School)
Image | Book | Notes | Image | Book | Notes | |
Matthew A. Cherry, Vashti Harrison | Elementary School | jelani memory | Elementary School | |||
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Méndez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation Duncan Tonatiuh | Elementary School | Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness Anastasia Higginbotham | Elementary School | |||
Shane W. Evans | Elementary School | Breanna J McDaniel, Shane W Evans | Elementary School | |||
Useni Eugene Perkins, Bryan Collier | Elementary School | Roda Ahmed, Stasia Burrington | Elementary School | |||
Kadir Nelson | Elementary School | Deborah Hopkinson, A.G. Ford | Elementary School | |||
Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie, Ashleigh Corrin | Elementary School | Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López | Elementary School | |||
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match Monica Brown, Sara Palacios | Elementary School | Monica Clark-Robinson, Frank Morriso | Elementary School | |||
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Deborah Hopkinson, James E. Ransome | Elementary School | Jacqueline Woodson, Hudson Talbott | Elementary School | |||
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad Ellen Levine, Kadir Nelson | Elementary School | Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom Carole Boston Weatherford, Kadir Nelson | Elementary School | |||
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, Ann Hazzard, Jennifer Zivoin | Elementary School | Saturday | Elementary School |
Acknowledgments
Our team at Albert (the creators of this document) leveraged our personal experiences and the following resources/people to help curate this list:
Articles
- Books to Read About Anti-Racism (Time)
- These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids (New York Times)
- Clint Smith’s top 12 books on racial inequity in American history (Instagram post)
- Rachel Herron’s "A letter to my white teachers" (Instagram post)
- BLM Instructional Library from Phoebe Defino (Google slides)
- Anti-Racist Math Education (Google doc)
- Social Justice Books (Black History)
- Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living by Nic Stone
- A Reading List of Short Story Collections by Black Women Writers by Camille Acker
- 36 Great Short Stories to Teach in Middle School by WeAreTeachers
- Black poetry, high school students, and audio recordings by Cultural Front
- 28 More Black Picture Books that aren’t about boycotts, Buses or Basketball (Vol. 3) by Scott Woods
Feedback from Teachers
- Rachel (kindergarten teacher) submitted many additional book ideas to include in our elementary school reading list
- Ashley (high school science teacher) submitted a fiction book idea for teachers and administrators
- Nicole (middle school humanities teacher) submitted a great teaching resource as well as a video
- Summer submitted "Embrace Race" for great resources on nurturing empathetic, inclusive children
- Sara suggested we include short stories in the resource - so we added a brand new section!
- Katie suggested a great book and a meditation resource for teachers/students
- Asia suggested we add the powerful video, "Segregated by Design"