Black Lives Matter
Punching the Air
Ibi Aanu Zoboi
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Zoboi Ibi
Black Lives Matter, Young Adult
From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. The story that I thought was my life didn't start on the day I was born. Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. "Boys just being boys" turns out to be true only when those boys are white. The story that I think will be my life starts today. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal's bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it' With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both. Ages 12+
Don't touch my hair!
Sharee (Illustrator) Miller
jE Miller
Read Woke, Black Lives Matter, Picture Books
Aria loves her soft and bouncy hair, but must go to extremes to avoid people who touch it without permission until, finally, she speaks up. Includes author's note.
Sharee Miller's books are great! I particularly love this one. -Casey
Sadiq and the desert star
Siman Nuurali
jFICTION Nuurali Siman
Read Woke, Black Lives Matter, Early Chapter Books
Sadiq's father is going on a business trip, but before he goes he tells Sadiq a story of the Desert Star, which fits in perfectly with Sadiq's third grade class field trip to the planetarium, and inspires Sadiq to build a simple telescope to study the stars when his father returns.
Join Sadiq as he learns all about the solar system in this one! This is the first book in the Sadiq series. -Casey
White Fragility
Robin J. DiAngelo
305.8/DiAngelo
Nonfiction, Black Lives Matter
In this groundbreaking and timely book, antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility. Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo explores how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
Every white person needs to read this book. It feels like the most helpful diversity training you will ever experience, and while sometimes the truth hurts, the sooner white people realize we live in a indoctrinated racist society and take steps to reverse it, the better. I love the directness of this book. It's very no nonsense--whether you like it or not, we exist in a racist society. Here's why and what you can do about it. It's very important and I strongly believe it's what everyone needs to get on board with understanding in order to move forward. -Mari
The women who caught the babies : a story of African American midwives
Eloise Greenfield
j811 Greenfield
Black Lives Matter, Nonfiction, Kids
Through historical information, poems, illustrations, and photographs, the author shows the ways in which African American midwives have helped families over the course of hundreds of years.
Added by Anne W
Young, gifted and black : meet 52 black heroes from past and present
Jamia Wilson
jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Wilson
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Nonfiction, Biographies
This book brings together 52 iconic talents from the past and present and celebrates their inspirational achievements. Meet figureheads, leaders and pioneers such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and sporting heroes, including Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams.
Added by Anne W
Little leaders : bold women in black history
Vashti Harrison
jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Harrison
Black Lives Matter, Nonfiction, Kids, Biographies
Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of 40 bold African American women who shaped history.
Added by Anne W
The fierce 44 : black Americans who shook up the world
jBIOGRAPHY 920.996 Fierce
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Biographies, Nonfiction
"A dynamic and hip collective biography that presents 44 of America's greatest movers and shakers from Frederick Douglass to Aretha Franklin to Barack Obama, written by ESPN's TheUndefeated.com and illustrated with dazzling portraits by Rob Ball."
Added by Anne W
Marley Dias gets it done : and so can you!
Marley (Marley Emerson) Dias
j305.48896 Dias
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Memoir
In this accessible "keep-it-real" guide, Marley explores activism, social justice, volunteerism, equity and inclusion, and using social media for good. Drawing from her experience, Marley shows kids how they can galvanize their strengths to make positive changes in their communities, while getting support from parents, teachers, and friends to turn dreams into reality.
Added by Anne W
Reach for the Skai : how to inspire, empower, and clapback
Skai Jackson
jBIOGRAPHY Jackson, Skai
Black Lives Matter, Memoir, Kids
"Actress and activist Skai Jackson shares her lessons on life and her rise to stardom in this vibrant memoir about self-acceptance, girl empowerment, and the classy clapback"--
Added by Anne W
This book, written in verse is a masterpiece very loosely based on the exonerated 5 member Yusef Salaam, who co-authors the book. This book touched me to my core and brought the inhumanity of the school-to-prison pipeline blatantly into view. -Victoria