Books about race can be a great entryway for parents looking to talk to their kids about inequality, social justice, and how to become a better ally.
To help you build an age-appropriate antiracist reading list, we reached out to Black children’s book and Y.A. authors for their recommendations on the books parents can introduce to kids now and beyond moments of national outrage. After all, it’s never too early to learn that racism is wrong and we should be doing something about it.
It is our responsibility to be active in the face of injustice and books help to start conversations with children as soon as possible, each of us accountable in educating a new generation, especially those at an impressionable age. Reading might not the single answer but it’s on the right path.
As protesters in cities around the world come together to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, many people are also using this time to educate themselves and their families about institutionalised racism. Many people are asking how they can help the movement – whether that’s joining protests or donatng to worthy causes but many believe that the real fight is to commit to leading an anti-racist life.
Listening and learning is one way to better understand the context of protests following George Floyd’s killing and the struggles of black people over centuries – and antiracism conversations should come early and often.
From bedtime stories about activism and protesting for toddlers to a collection of poems for teens and memory games celebrating multiculturalism, here are 11 books about race parents can use to start talking to their kids about antiracism.
