Inclusion.
We all want it: we want to be heard; to be accepted; to be included, as an important piece to society's puzzle. Despite this burning desire, though, many find themselves on the outside looking in. Often, those pounding on the door are those of colour, and their knuckles are bleeding from the impact. Those inside, are often unaware — oblivious even — to the constant knocking and the fact that our societal hut is swaying in the changing winds, threatening to fall. In fact, the sounds of the knocks and straining walls have become a hum in the back of our brains like a noise machine lulling us to sleep.
Outside, however, it's a different story.
In recent years, the Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter movements have scratched off scabs we have all be telling ourselves had been healed. Together, they brought to the forefront how our past can, and does, affect our present and future.
Racism didn't end with the Civil Rights Movement or the electing of the first black president in the United States any more than it did with the closure of the residential schools in Canada. It still hides in our language, in our education system, in our workplaces, in our governments, and in our societies as a whole.
Is history really in the rearview, or does it appear closer than we think?
At TMC, we may not be able to open every door but we are unlocking the minds of current and future generations, and issuing an invitation to acknowledge, educate, change, speak up against racism on all fronts. Our efforts toward inclusion come with the addition of literature that fosters an anti-racism culture in our school and in our society. Each year, new titles are added that include topics on race and culture from a variety of ethnicities, as well as historic accounts of wrongs done to those of colour in our country, in addition to resources on how we can move forward and progress. Nothing can erase the atrocities of the past but by educating each generation thereafter, there is hope that we can evolve, do better, be inclusive, and join the fight against racism.
Over the summer, Twelve Mile Coulee Parent Council graciously gave $1,000 to purchase grade-team anti-racism books for classroom collections. In the first week of October, these collections were delivered to the grade-team learning leaders, and the titles were added to the Learning Commons' wish list for this school year, some of which were previously purchased as part of our Learning Commons collection.
The purchasing of these books was not done lightly. When compiling the Anti-Racism Collection, the following websites were consulted:
- Rebekah Gienapp's 15 Books to Help Kids Understand That Black Lives Matter (Gienapp is a mom, activist and writer whose work has been published and featured on several journalistic platforms, including in the Washington Post, Justice Through Journalism, Brownicity, and Biracial Bookworms).
- CBC: The Children's Book Council's Anti-Racism Committee, which is "committed to working for an equitable and just society, and denounce the systemic oppression and violence to the black community."
- Vogue's 17 Books About Racial Inequality for Young Readers by Marley Marius, published June 6, 2020.
- Amazon Best Sellers: Best Sellers in Children's Prejudice and Racism Books
- Indigo: An Antiracist Reading List
The titles were chosen based on the reading and comprehension levels for a middle-school student population, with the majority of the books aimed at all levels (Grade 5-9), as well as the accolades they have earned in the publishing industry.
To acknowledge the generosity of Parent Council, each book has a label inside the front cover (see image at right).
Here's the list of titles purchased with the Parent Council donation, and their suggested reading levels:
- The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander (K-Grade 3)
- Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne (Grade 2-6)
- We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson (Grade 3-7)
- This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell (Grade 6-10)
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o (PreS-Grade 3)
- A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee (Grade 3-7)
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Grade 5-12)
- Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Grade 5-9)
- New Kid, Vol. 1 by Jerry Craft (Grade 3-7)
- Let's Talk About Race by Julius Lester (PreS-Grade 3)
- Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Grade 3-7)
- Amina's Voice by Hena Khan (Grade 4-6)
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (Grade 7-12)
- Rise Up!: The Art of Protest by Jo Rippon (Grade 3-7)
- Pemmican Wars: A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 1 by Katherena Vermette (Grade 7-12)
- #NotYourPrincess: Voice of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale (Grade 9-12)
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Grade 9-12)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Grade 9-12)
Digital Resources:
The Undefeated: Kwame Alexander reads The Undefeated:
The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree.Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
STAMPED: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Below is an interview with Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You authors Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi about the reimagining of Kendi's original, adult-rated book, Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which was published in 2017. The latest version of Stamped is a book geared to middle-school aged children. (The interview mentions American educators and activists Angela Davis and William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois.)
Author Biographies: Ibram X. Kendi is one of the foremost historians and leading antiracists advocates in the United States, an award-winning author and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, as well as being the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys, the Track Series, Long Way Down, For Everyone, and Miles Morales-Spiderman. Reynolds' book Ghost is a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature. His genres include novels and poetry for young adults and middle-school audiences.
Pemmican Wars: A Girl Called Echo (Vol. 1)
Bellow is an interview with Pemmican Wars: A Girl Called Echo (Vol. 1) author and poet Katherena Vermette, a Métis writer from Treaty One territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Vermette is an award-winning novelist whose latest creation is a graphic novel series, which was illustrated by Scott. B. Henderson and coloured by Donovan Yaciuk. The series' main character is Echo Dejardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl who is struggling in middle school and time travels to the Saskatchewan prairie in 1812, a time of bison hunts, the fur trade and the bygone Pemmican Wars.
CBC: Canada Reads: Katherena Vermette
[Click on the link, scroll down the page to listen to the interview with Katherena Vermette on Pemmican Wars: A Girl Called Echo (Vol. 1)]
