written by editor Tami Winfrey Harris
I shared in my review of bell hooks’ “Happy to be Nappy” that I would love to offer a regular column on ARP that reviews valuable resources for antiracist parenting: books, Web sites, films, games, workshops, etc. I’m doing research, but I need to hear from you, too. I know many of you have arsenals of stuff you use to encourage your children to acknowlege and value diversity.
Now, a fellow reader needs your help, too. Deanna writes:
[I am looking for resources] for the new Intercultural Resource Committee I’ve volunteered to start at my son Lucca’s (he just finished 1st grade) school. I met with the Local School Council and have gotten “institutional green light” to move ahead. The idea is to come up with curriculum, links, etc. to build multicultural perspectives in the classroom (It bothered me in one book report when Lucca had to evaluate the two main characters in what was considered by all to be an innocuous story, and his columns listed “Blonde, Pretty, and Good” versus “Dark, Ugly, and Bad.” ) Initially we have been directed to take a look at the Illinois State Standards and look at how to incorporate multi-cultural/multi-racial perspectives to support state standards…to support what teachers are doing. The thought is that if it is “outside” of the standards, teachers will be less motivated to include it. We also have an opportunity to do a teacher ‘in-service’ in the fall. I would imagine sending home tips for parents, reading lists, etc. throughout the year for parents as well. The approach I think we are taking now is, for example, making sure that if the topic is American literature/poetry that it might include Eugene Field, Gwendolyn Brooks, Khalil Gibran, etc. or that a unit on space travel would include Neil Armstrong, Nellie Ochoa, and Mae Jemison (etc.-e.g. trying to include all contributions in a particular subject area-please note order of names is not intended to be hierarchical-I’m just thinking in order of what I learned in school to what was not included…). The plan is to make these resources available to parents online as well, beginning at my blog, Intercultural Talk.
Help Deanna and me out by sharing information on great resources you have found. Discuss your antiracist parenting tools in this thread or e-mail me at team@loveisntenough.com.
I like Skin Again by Bell Hooks and The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. We also read a lot of Korean and Asian-American books like Dim Sum by Grace Lin, Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park, and Babies Can’t Eat Kimchi (don’t know the author of that one.) A good resource for Asian-American kids’ books is a catalog called “Asia for Kids.”
here’s a good book:
http://www.amazon.com/If-World-Were-Village-Worlds/dp/1550747797/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214498993&sr=1-1
It condenses the world population down to a village of 100 people, so its much easier for kids to grasp the numbers.
I have a long list, but off the top of my head, I would recommend the “colorized” fairy tale classics from Hyperion’s Jump at the Sun imprint, and a book called “Shades of Black.”
Oh, and books by Patricia McKissack!
This is a fabulous resource for eduators and parents:
http://www.tolerance.org/
I recently received “SPEAK UP! Responding to Everyday Bigotry” from the Southern Poverty Law Center. It’s 88 pages of easy to understand ally training for adults and children. Clear everyday examples are given with the words to challenge those awkward moments. I love it. It was free (12 were sent to me for my work site) and we paid for S&H.
i’m a book person, so books are basic tools for me as a parent. my daughter is almost 4, so many of the books we’re reading together are aged 4-8 and may suit grammar school classes, too.
here’s a list of books i either want to remember to get at the library and read to my daughter or have gotten at the library and read to her and we’ve liked so well we want her to have her own copy to read whenever: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1Q5Q6426NG8I4/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go
the list isn’t all ARP-specific sorts of books, but it mostly is. if you sort the list from “unpurchased” to “purchased”, there are more titles, too.
A favorite book at our house is “All the Colors of the Earth.” The pictures and text are both beautiful.
I have a list of children’s books featuring racially diverse families, some of which directly address racism & diversity. You can find the list at http://gorigirl.com/intercultural-relationship-resources
A great book is “La mujer que brillaba aún más que el sol / The Woman Who Outshone the Sun”
It is written in both English and Spanish. I brought the book over ten years ago and it has never left our side. It is also a great gift.
Highly recommend two catalogs: Culture for Kids and Asia for Kids. Both have books, videos, games, bilingual materials, crafts, etc. etc.; Culture for Kids covers many countries.
The phone number is 1-800-765-5885; website is http://www.cultureforkids.com or http://www.asiaforkids.com.
Lots of great products and resources are available at http://www.icelebratediversity.com
If you’re looking for books that include Native American perspectives, use caution, and – even better – use the reviews at American Indians in Children’s Literature. Since even national award committees seem to have trouble distinguishing between books that perpetuate stereotypes and books that challenge them, it’s a really important resource:
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/
Here’s a great group that has wonderful resources for educators and schools, including their “Families All Matter” book project.
http://www.amazeworks.org/
Thank you so much! I appreciate all of the book ideas as well as links to curriculum. We have a lot of work to do, but this is a fantastic start. (and it was fun linking to everyone’s lists, blogs, etc. as I read responses). Thanks so much, and please feel free to keep sending things as you think of them.
I get a lot of good tips from http://www.mixedracefamilies.com and they had an article on how to deal with racial bullying that I printed out and hung on my fridge, it was so good.
Another resource for teaching about social justice: a new picture book, AS GOOD AS ANYBODY. Here’s the link to it (with reviews) on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375833358/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
Disclosure of bias: I know the author
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Teaching Tolerance is a program by the Southern Poverty Law Center that is a full curriculum on just that–teaching tolerance!
teachingtoleance.org
IT IS GREAT!
Find some great ideas/books for teaching anti-racist history at Rethinking Schools (http://www.rethinkingschools.org). There is another site, Teaching for change, that has some great resources, and one of my favorite guides for teaching anti-racist curriculum called Beyond heroes and Holidays (http://www.teachingforchange.org/Beyond_Heroes/beyond_heroes.html)