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Antiracist Reading Revolution Book List for reference

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Additional upcoming Study Group opportunities:

Unearthing Joy Book Study sponsored by WWU Social Equity Commission.

Raising Antiracist Children by Britt Hawthorne Community Book Study with support from PTAs.

Teaching for Black Lives Rethinking Schools sponsors study groups for the school year.

If interested in any of these book studies with sync and async options, reach out to Kirsten.Jensen@belllinghamschools.org

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1. This question is a little difficult to answer as I work in small groups, but within the small groups I cultivate community and interdependence through shared reading experiences. For older students, I've been trying to implement PRPS (Partner Reading Paragraph Shrinking) techniques where students practice their fluency and take turns reading to each other. If a student misses a word, the other student has been trained to point to the word and wait 4 seconds before asking if they need help with the word. After they read the passage they try to summarize in 10 words or less, together. I find that these shared experiences increase engagement and help launch students.

2. I found it interesting that SCP references Dr. April Baker-Bell's work on racial classifications to language stating that "linguistic hierarchies and racial hierarchies are interconnected." (as referenced on p. 102). I've noticed this in the way highly-educated people are trained to speak, specifically with the /wh/ digraph. I notice that /hw/ is considered the gold-standard of speaking. I also found it interesting to reflect on the question "What is communicated and emphasized as you teach reading?" and also that being the gatekeeper of information reinforces the teacher-student dichotomy.

3. I loved the book, Luli and the Language of Tea, as did my 2.5 year old son! I think the two prompts that I was most drawn to were the questions around atmosphere and accountability.

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What is working well with this ARR study group? What specific suggestions do you have to improve?

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This book and its author, Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, are referenced all of the time at Alderwood. My work as a literacy specialist doesn't often overlap with the IB units within the classroom, and so I'm participating in this book study to share common knowledge with our teachers and to learn more myself. I'm curious how the reading of this book will change my approach to my practice, or give me tools to engage all learners.

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1. The idea that teachers "don't teach books; we teach children," (p. 8) resonated with me as well as joy being "the ultimate goal of teaching and learning," (Dr. Muhammad as cited on pg. 16). Joy is always at the center of my day. I love working with children (we all do!), and when they feel joy, I feel them learning and growing as humans. It's like a beautiful synergy where the more joy they experience, the more they learn. The first quote resonated with me because I think it is so easy to hold tight to our "raft" of curriculum/concepts that we want our students to master, especially with foundational skills of reading. These skills are essential for reading and liberation, but maybe a shift I have been contemplating has been to never be the gatekeeper of knowledge. How do I teach these foundational skills less in isolation and more integrated? I don't know the answer--just something I have been pondering to make foundational skills instruction more meaningful.

2. I am curious if there are more diverse decodable readers available. I find kindergarteners are so ready to get into books and are so PROUD when they do, however, I'm curious if there is such a product out there, so that level of engagement can increase even more.

3. "When we commit to antiracist ideas, we commit to love." (p. 22). I'm ready to learn more about this and to see what it looks like/explanations/examples of in the rest of her book. I'm also curious about her reference to the integration of the science of reading and culturally relevant and antiracist teaching practices on pg. 21, and either want to see if it comes up more in her book, or if there is more information to glean from other sources outside of this book.

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1. Recognize cultural, community, and collective practices (I feel like I do a pretty good job at getting to know the students and the families I support--always room for improvement!)

2. Teach racial literacy (This was a stretch for me, but I do work with students to think critically about the texts we read or to ask questions if things don't make sense to them).

3. Learn about community activists (My role as a literacy specialist is unique and so I also felt like this one was a stretch, but I do feel like I'm always trying to show students where they are on the continuum of reading and why it is so important to learn to read--luckily elementary students are really motivated!)

4. /5. Shatter silences around racism/Center BIPOC in texts (I use decodable passages or iReady's fluency passages most frequently in my teaching. I'm curious to see what other materials are out there and available to support me in implementing the five characteristics of antiracist teaching.

2. The commitment to Critical Love (Sealey-Ruiz, as cited by SCP) resonated the most with me when SCP discusses the importance of affirmation and awareness as cornerstones for the six critical lenses. Sealey-Ruiz describes Critical Love as a "profound commitment to the communities we work in," and is the "involves educators working to recognize and reckon with their own biases and racist assumptions, in order to fully and authentically love Black and Brown children as they are." (p. 35-36). I found Sealey-Ruiz's concept easy to connect with because for me and all of us, it is ongoing work. It is not to know just one student and their family and to check a box, it is a constantly evolving body of work that is nuanced, complex, and important.

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1. In reflecting on my reading collage from elementary school, we actually read a fair amount of books from different perspectives and backgrounds. However, I would say that the books we read did not represent the whole person and I feel like the books we read provided limited and harmful depictions, which wasn't really discussed or debriefed.

2. I loved reading, A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond and illustrated by Kate Cosgrove. I'm not quite how I would integrate this book into a literacy lesson (TBD), but I'm personally drawn to the prompts around authorship, as when I was reading this text I kept wondering who wrote the book and their experience. I also love the prompts around accountability, as it paints such a beautiful mirror and window into a world that we're not always privy to, or understand.

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1. I teach using mostly decodables and iReady Reading passages. I notice that in the decodables there is an absence of race, and most characters are animals. In iReady passages, they are about a lot of different topics, both fiction and non-fiction, but I think in using Debbie Reese's Disrupt Texts guidelines, I am realizing that decodables choice to have an absence of race, and iReadys choice to highlight BIPOC characters either through mentioning of their skin color, or to give information on exceptional BIPOC people from history, are both problematic. To quote SCP on pg. 164 "When educators do not see their work as political, students miss opportunities to deconstruct racist ideas that surround them and can instead perpetuate them."

2. I found the quote from pg. 165 exceptionally profound: "Having a trustworthy teacher who is willing to be vulnerable and learn in tandem with students is critical to their real and perceived safety in the classroom." I'm still learning what it means to be vulnerable and to learn alongside my students. I'm excited to have the time to process with other educators and to see what that looks like.

3. I was drawn to the questions/prompts about Affirmation and Activism, specifically "What can you do to show you believe that Black Lives Matter?" for the book "When We Say Black Lives Matter" by Maxine Beneba Clarke.

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1. I'm not sure there is ever a "complete" on the path to racial literacy, however, I feel like I'm maybe 1/4-1/2 of the way there, personally. In the past few years, I've really pushed myself to read authors from different backgrounds than mine and to understand different storytelling/perspectives. In the classroom, this is not something I support, as I mostly use decodables and iReady passages. I'd love to see how other teachers of foundational skills integrate this. I see racial literacy as an integrated rope in Scarborough's rope model (2001). And although my focus is mostly on the lower half of the model (word recognition strategies), I'm increasingly thinking of ways to make it more integrated. It is a learning process.

2. Some questions I have after reading this chapter are why does the US close its borders to large groups of specific people and what is the connection between the Insurrection and banned books.

3. For this chapter, my son and I read the book "Skin Again" and the prompts I am most drawn to are around affirmation and awareness.

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In my searching for more resources, I found this collection of book lists that I wanted to pass along!

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1. I think one of the biggest social issues and concerns facing Alderwood's school community is poverty and its ripple effects, specifically with students from poor oral language environments. It is hard because poverty impacts the whole family, including the parents and the school has limitations for the support it can provide, as not wanting to create a more restrictive environment. However, the lack of support for the family and the emotional and physical crisis that poverty creates greatly impacts some of our students days. I see the harm it causes some of our lower income students, as it feels like the school is doing all it can, and the family is doing all it can. I know Opportunity Council works to support families who need help, but I am not sure of activists who are actively working to improve conditions for those children who live in poverty, specifically their language development

2. For this chapter, I read "Autumn Peliter, Water Warrior." I was most drawn to the prompts around Affirmation and Awareness.

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Grace Haupt Chapter 7 and Appendices reflection 

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1. I think at this point I'm feeling overwhelmed as I'm not quite sure how to identify the next step. I really resonated with SCP in the epilogue when she notes that to cultivate hope and solidarity, we must avoid isolationism. I'm not quite sure where to start to find the group of people! But I am open to it.

2. I really loved the closing lines of the epilogue: "To recognize that we nurture and maintain an unbreakable allegiance with our students and their families and to each other whenever we place aspirations above academics, collectivism over individualism, humanity over curriculum." (p. 269)

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Another idea that resonated with me in this introduction was on page 8 when the teacher described collecting books and having students be able to access incredible literature. I feel like for years I've been collecting literature at all levels, by some of the best authors, and the most well-loved books of all times. My classroom is exploding with books in every nook and cranny. It wasn't until a few years ago after learning about "mirrors, window, and sliding glass doors" that I started analyzing my collection of books and realized that I wasn't being intentional or focused on the importance of Black and Brown children having access to books that reflect their lives. Dr. Bishop states, "Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors." I would love to learn more about books that I can incorporate into my practice, how to intentionally lead and teach with mirrors, and how to develop an identity-inspiring classroom for my students. After previewing this book and seeing the One-Note the district created, I am excited to move beyond this idea of representation by just having books by and about BIPOC, but to liberation in my classroom, where students learn to identify and love themselves.

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What I hope to get out of this study group is a better handle on the read-alouds and lessons that I can use in my classroom right away. I just received my copy of Anti-Racist Reading Revolution and I'm excited to dig in! My teaching partners both received an educator grant from Whatcom CARE to purchase every read-aloud from the text so I am feeling supported and excited to begin this work.

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Whatcom Coalition for Anti-Racist Education

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Resources for educators — Whatcom Coalition for Anti-Racist Education

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Are you a K-12 educator or school staff in Whatcom County who wants to learn more about bringing anti-racist education to your school community? Here are some resources to get you started. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Please reach out to us!

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I am so excited to be learning all about this work and to plan lessons with my colleagues. I was so lucky to receive a grant from Whatcome CARE to purchase the books in the ARR book! So, my hope is to learn more from this group and also work to create lessons (that hopefully we can share) that go with each book!

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After attending our 1st grade PLC last week, I was excited to learn more and dig further into this book. My teaching partner, Natalie, was able to attend Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul's workshop and came back to school inspired to implement antiracist read-alouds into her classroom. I have been learning from her, and after seeing all the great resources in the text and One-Note, I too wanted to learn more about the six critical lenses outlined in the book and how to incorporate these strategies into rich read-alouds that will provide windows and mirrors for my students.

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1)
Several ideas from Anti-Racist Reading Revolution resonate deeply with me. One that especially affirms my thinking is the statement, “to be antiracist requires us to utilize our powers of ongoing commitment and action.” This empowers me as a teacher by reminding me that my work in the classroom is both a responsibility and an opportunity to create meaningful change. Another powerful idea is that children “need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world we live in…as well as their connections to all other humans.” This reinforces my belief that reading can be a bridge to empathy, understanding, and global awareness. Finally, Dr. Goldy Muhammad’s idea that joy is the ultimate goal of teaching and learning truly moved me. It’s a beautiful reminder that even when the work is hard, centering joy is revolutionary in itself.

2)
In my work toward becoming an antiracist teacher, I want to begin by reflecting on how my own identity influences how I read and experience texts. This self-awareness will help me model reflective reading for my students. I’d like to plan a mini-lesson that highlights how our identities—our backgrounds, cultures, and experiences—shape the way we understand and connect with stories. My goal is to show students that all perspectives are valid and valuable, and to encourage them to read in a way that affirms who they are and builds connection with others.

3)
The introduction of the book offered so much to think about, but the reflections that stood out the most to me were around the word “diverse”—how I define it, how it’s used within the school system, and how we sometimes use it without critically examining its implications. This has pushed me to think more intentionally about the language I use and the purpose behind it. I also appreciated the emphasis on identifying practical applications of the book’s ideas so that I can begin planning for and implementing a joyful, antiracist reading revolution in my classroom. I’m excited to move from reflection to action in a way that centers students' voices, identities, and joy.

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This book is referenced repeatedly in dialogue during trainings and interpersonal education conversations. I guess I just want to understand her message.

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1. This is all new learning for me. I would rank the Five Characteristics of Antiracist Teaching in order as listed in the book from Center BIPOC in text to Learn about Community Activities. The first two characteristics I feel like I do incorporate into my classroom, but I can be far more intentional about book selection and creating mirrors and windows for my students. I'm hoping to learn more about the last three characteristics to be able to do a better job of Shattering the Silences Around Racism and Teaching Racial Literacy. The last characteristic, Learn About Community Activists, might be more challenging in a first grade classroom.

2. The lenses of affirmation and awareness are essential in my teaching practice. Affirmation ensures that students see themselves reflected in the literature we read, helping them feel valued and seen. Awareness pushes both me and my students to recognize injustice and understand the role stories play in shaping our perspectives. Together, these lenses help create a classroom where all voices matter and where reading becomes a tool for both empowerment and change.

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I appreciate that the study group is helping to keep me on track with reading the text carefully and think about each of the read-alouds. There's so much to it and so I am just jumping in to try it! I can't wait to have a bank of lessons ready to go.

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In considering how I embed the characteristics of anti-racist teaching in my instruction, I would rank them in the following order from most to least embedded: (1) Center BIPOC in texts, (2) Shatter silences around racism, (3) Learn about community activists, (4) Teach racial literacy, and (5) Recognize cultural, community, and collective practices. I have been intentional about ensuring that my students regularly engage with texts that center BIPOC voices and experiences. This has helped open the door to conversations that challenge the dominant narrative and encourage critical thinking. I also actively work to create a classroom where we can openly discuss racism and injustice, while continuing to grow in my ability to connect learning to the lives and activism of people in our communities.

The part of Cherry-Paul’s explanation of the Affirmation and Awareness lenses that resonates most deeply with me is the need to have “in-depth knowledge of my students—their racial and cultural identities, the values instilled in them by their families and communities, their joys, hopes, and dreams.” This resonates because I believe building authentic relationships with students is essential to co-creating a classroom where a “liberatory consciousness” can thrive. If I want to be an antiracist educator, I must commit to knowing my students deeply and honoring the identities they bring into the classroom. Only then can we learn and grow together in meaningful, transformative ways.

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Reflecting on my own reading experiences in school, I realize that most of the books I encountered featured white protagonists or animals. Despite this, I often felt like I could see myself in the stories I read. Even when the settings were from long ago or far away, I found ways to connect with characters like Meg Murray in A Wrinkle in Time or Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden. I was able to identify with their curiosity, stubbornness, or sense of being different. When I look back at my “book collage,” I don’t notice any obvious tensions between my identities and the books I read, though I now recognize how limited those perspectives were and how much I missed out on by not being exposed to a broader range of voices.

For the second part of the reflection, I chose to read My Two Border Towns by David Bowles. This book offers a powerful entry point for a mini-lesson that goes beyond surface-level representation. One prompt I would use is: “What are you learning about the ways the characters (the boy and his father) interact with their communities?” This question invites students to think about relationships and responsibility toward your community. I would also incorporate the Awareness lens, particularly the question about the function of a border. This feels especially relevant right now, given the context of mass deportations and the ongoing national conversation about immigration. The book allows for a compassionate, critical discussion of borders—not just as physical dividers, but as political and social constructs that affect real people.

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Community becomes a source of strength in our class because it is built on care and connection. When students feel safe and valued, they are more willing to take risks, share their voices, and support their peers. In Chapter 3 it says, “Teaching students to embrace collectivism is a necessary departure from the individualistic ideologies that are often rooted in whiteness.” In our classroom, a goal is to implement systems and routines that move away from competition and instead celebrate each other’s progress and contributions.

Some of the practices I use to create community include a daily Morning Meeting that focuses on social-emotional skills, shared classroom jobs, and Class Meetings where we check in on each other, solve problems, and reflect together. These practices help reinforce that everyone has something valuable to offer and that we are responsible for caring for one another.

I want to move beyond surface-level celebrations of culture and deepen the ways students see their identities reflected and valued in our everyday learning. One goal I have is to find more consistent ways to invite families into the classroom, as partners in our learning. I’d also like to create more space for students to share their knowledge, languages, and experiences through storytelling and projects.

Recently, I used the pathways and prompts from Chapter 3 to guide a read-aloud of Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao. We talked about the cultural and community practices in Amy’s family and how everyone had a role in making the bao together. After reading, students reflected on something they’d like to get better at—just like Amy persevered in learning to make the perfect bao. Each student then chose one idea and wrote it inside a little paper “bao” we folded together. This activity sparked our thinking about taking pride in improvement, while also honoring the cultural story at the heart of the book. We noticed that there is a recipe for bao in the back of the book and several students said they wanted to try it at home. We watched a bao-making video and I see why Amy struggled—it looks like a skill that would take some practice!

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I hope that my classroom is a safe space for all students. I try to create an environment where everyone feels seen, valued, and respected, but I also know that this is ongoing work. There’s always more I can do to ensure that emotional safety and belonging are not just intentions, but lived experiences for all my students. Honestly, that's been a tough one with my class this year. My instruction does include discussions about race and racism. I believe it’s essential for students to develop the language and understanding to talk about these issues, and I try to make space for honest conversations that affirm students’ experiences and expand their awareness of the world. I feel very supported in this work with my grade-level team, our Instructional Coach, and my administrator.

I really connect with the idea that nostalgia can cloud our ability to see the problematic ideologies in the books we’ve loved. This is a tough one for me because I have so many beloved books that I’m guessing won’t stand the test of time when viewed through an anti-racist lens. I worry that doing so will change how I feel about them. But I also know that part of growing in racial literacy means being willing to look critically, even when it’s uncomfortable. I guess I feel like I’m not ready to take on this work yet.

Thinking about a read-aloud from this Chapter: We Are Still Here by Traci Sorell. I spent time with the prompts and pathways outlined in Chapter 4. This book contains a lot of important information. I plan to focus the read-aloud around one guiding question: “What are you learning about resistance and resilience of Native Peoples?” I’m thinking about the learning my class did around Treaty Day and Billy Frank, Jr. and this seems like a good place to build on their knowledge. Also, Cherry-Paul said to start with the lens of Affirmation, so this seems like a good prompt to guide our discussion. I can also use this book to model how we listen deeply, ask questions, and respond with respect when learning about cultures and experiences that may be different from our own, which is closely aligned with several of the 13 Principles of Black Lives Matter that my students are already familiar with, notably Diversity and Empathy.

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Yellow White Minimalist Quote Reminder Facebook Post

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Individually and collectively, I feel that I am in a positive place on the path toward racial literacy. Through participation in book studies and through collaborative work with my team, I am building my capacity to help students develop racial literacy. Our team is committed to becoming anti-racist educators, and we are working intentionally to create lessons around thoughtful read-alouds while incorporating the 13 Principles of Black Lives Matter into our IB units. For example, we recently started our "How We Express Ourselves" unit with the central idea that "Creative expression can amplify the human experience." We are compiling read-alouds that align with the BLM Principles of Globalism and Intergenerational, helping students connect literature, creativity, and social responsibility.

One moment that stood out to me as I considered Dr. Cherry-Paul’s reflection questions was remembering when I first learned about the Tulsa Race Massacre—an event I literally never encountered in school and only became aware of about ten years ago. The fact that such a significant part of American history was erased from my education highlights how systemic racism is maintained through the withholding of truth. Erasing stories like Tulsa upholds white supremacy by preserving a false narrative that centers white experiences and minimizes the history of racial violence and resilience of Black communities. As Dr. Cherry-Paul writes, "When we teach racial literacy, students are able to see how relevant the past is to their lives today," and this connection between past and present is exactly what I hope to foster more deliberately in my classroom.

For the book, I chose to read Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez. I can see myself using this text with a focus on the Affirmation and Activism pathways. It would be a read-aloud I might use during our "Who We Are" or "Where We Are in Place and Time" IB units. For third graders, I could use prompts such as: "How do our family histories shape who we are?" and "How can understanding our own and others' identities help us create a more just world?" This book naturally lends itself to discussions around pride in your heritage and resistance against stereotypes, which are critical components of building racial literacy.

I’m also thinking about a lesson or series of lessons to go with the story. After reading the book, students could create their own "Where I'm From" poem, either individually or as a class. I had this great sub a long time ago who was actually a professional writer, and he helped the kids write a whole-class “We Are From…” poem and it was gorgeous! I still remember that, although I don’t have a lesson plan to go with it. I could encourage them to think about the places, people, traditions, foods, languages, and experiences that shape who they are. We could use sentence starters like:

I am from...

I come from...

My family teaches me...

In my community, we...

Once they finish their writing, they could also create art to go with their poem; something that that visually represents parts of their identity from their poetry.

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I am eager to learn more from Sonja Cherry-Paul’s book and excited to implement strategies into my read-alouds. I think this text will me be intentional with my with lesson planning and reading texts with my students.

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I really appreciate having the time to read and then respond at a later time. The padlet is a very helpful tool to organize my thoughts and responses. Thank you!

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1.      Growing up, my reading collage was stitched together with stories by Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, EB White—books filled with white children navigating childhood, friendships, and adventures. In their pages, I saw myself reflected in the characters’ everyday joys and struggles, their familiar neighborhoods and family dynamics. These stories shaped my understanding of the world, making me feel seen and understood in a way that felt natural. Yet, as I look back, I realize that this collage was incomplete—it lacked the richness of other cultural perspectives, voices, and experiences that could have expanded my worldview. The characters were relatable but limited, portraying only a fraction of the diverse realities that make up childhood.

2.      I read, I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordan C. James. This book is about a black boy and all the powerful ways he sees himself as a person and in the world. This book would be a great read-aloud at the beginning of the year during our IB unit, Sharing the Planet: It’s Such a Good Feeling. This unit is all about awareness and articulation of our own feelings and the feelings of others. I would definitely use the Affirmation prompts all about how the character feels about himself and his character traits. I think this book would be great to talk about how students see themselves and how they describe themselves.

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1.      The quote “To be antiracist is to commit to love.” (page 2) resonates and affirms my thinking.  This quote is such a great reminder that what I teach and what is discussed in the classroom goes beyond the walls of the school and that there is “no such thing as antiracist fairy dust. The kind of teaching that is truly antiracist involves actively nurturing students with unyielding love and care…” (page 15).

2.      “They need the books as windows onto reality, not just on imaginary worlds. They need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in, and their place as a member of just one group, as well as their connections to all other humans.” (page 9). This quote continues to come back to me as something I can change in my classroom and check in right away. This is such a great reminder to have a variety of texts available in the classroom, to do a class inventory of our books, and “We must do more. What we do with the books we make central in our teaching moves us forward. Antiracist teaching is what helps us and students to do more.” (page 12).

3.      “Students in classrooms right now are the young revolutionaries of today and tomorrow who deserve love and who are ready to plant the seeds of change.” (page 4). I can hear in class discussions the ideas and questions that the students have. They are the young revolutionaries of today and what a responsibility I have for the 1 year I am their teacher to provide the opportunity, books, and space for these discussions.

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Here is how I would rank how I embed the characteristics of antiracist teaching (most to least):

1. center BIPOC through texts

2. shatter silences around racism

3. teach racial literacy

4. recognize cultural, community, and collective practices

5. learn about community activists

I am really enjoying the collaboration and conversations around this important teaching!

2. “Such teaching demands that educators have an in-depth knowledge of their students- their racial and cultural identities, the values instilled in them by their families and communities, their joys, hopes, and dreams.” (page 35) resonated with me the most. This stuck out to me because of how it highlights what is being brought into the classroom from the students. It makes me think of the partnerships with families that are made and valuing their hopes and dreams for their child and their funds of knowledge.

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1. I'm 48 years old and I honestly don't remember at all what books were shared with me as a student. I remember that I liked to read the easy chapter books with an apple on the spine but I don't have recollection of which books were my favorites. But given the publication dates of the books I would have been reading (lots of baby-sitter's club), the perspective is probably mostly white kids.

2. I chose to read My Papi has a Motorcycle. I chose it because I shared it with classes as part of the Washington Children's Choice Picture book awards several years ago and I wanted to look at the book through a different lens this time. Affirmation is obvious in this book (alone this does not lead to liberation): Papi is an immigrant, he came to the US when he was already of working age (teen or adult). Papi makes time for his daughter and they share adventures. Papi doesn't "say" his love but he shows it. All of these things (and many more) will help readers to connect with the characters. But how do I go deeper? Clearly the community members know/recognize each other. How does living in a smaller or larger town influence this? I don't think the theme of gentrification is obvious in the book, even though the author tries to indicate that there have been changes, so I probably wouldn't focus on that. New homes replacing the citrus groves might be relateable; perhaps students see growth into natural areas near their homes (probably not at my school, though). The text provides no clear reason why the rapasados store closing closed, but perhaps we could relate this to stores closing and changing hands since this is a common occurance. I'm not sure kids would realize why Don Rudy has started a Rapasado stand to replace his store. So when the theme isn't obvious to me, how do I use the book to move toward liberation? This book would work well as part of a unit on immigration, or on community. Discussing the characters (Papi is hardworking, responsible, respected, loves his family, loves his community) would fit into activisitm, disrupting a stereotype that might exist and be currently perpetuated about immigrants, especially those with brown skin. A discussion about changing communities (for example building where people used to count on farm work as a job) could bring to light who is generally harmed when "progress" happens in a community, and perhaps a discussion about what type of progress our society tends to value. Discussing this book in this way might work best in grades 3-5. I'm not sure I'm very good at this yet...

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1. My first reaction was "I can't do this in the library, I don't have time to establish that type of community." But then I realized that I do what I can, and I can do better, too. Some things I do that establish interdependence are: having students create book recommendations for other students, celebrating student writing with a special place for students to donate books they create, teaching how to use the library independently and then asking adept students to help newcomers or those that need more support (rather than always having an adult help). The community becomes a source of strength in a small way when kids know they can ask anyone else for help and not just me or their teacher. I create communal experiences all the time because of shared readings and discussion. Since I tend to read the same book to several classes at the same grade level, this also provides an experience that is common between classes (and I tell the kids this). We had a reading challenge for 3rd grade students and all student responses were put together, for example, and students who completed the challege were all featured together. Kids participating in the challenge had common novels to talk about. The same things happens for the YETI competition at 4th/5th grade and we do try to feature books in that competiton that have a wide range of diversity. Students from across the district could potentially talk about the books they are reading from this selection! I don't always know about home cultures unless there is a second language involved. I speak to kids in Spanish all the time in front of other kids, and I translate stories as I read them quite often. I think this elevates the students (especially newcomers who are just barely learning English) and reminds other students of these students' humanity and desire to communicate and contribute in the classroom. It reminds our English speaking students that they are intelligent beings, not simply silent kids.

2. Reflection: In what ways do books centered in cirruculum and my teaching recognize and value various ways of knowing and being in the world? I think what I could do better, is researching the cultural purposes for some things I'm curious about in books. For example, I didn't know that tinikling might have evolved as form of resistance from Filipino farmers toward their Spanish colonizers. I would have read this book and missed that conversation completely.

3. How do the people in the story maintain their cultural identity? What is a cultural center? What benifits are there to living in/with two cultures? Speaking two languages? Why is it important for people to maintain their cultural traditions? Mostly these questions get at the atmosphere: The perspective of cross-cultural understandings and ways of being.

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Reflecting on the chart on page 222, I could identify lots of ways my third graders are already engaging with activists and activism through our curriculum. Throughout the year, we learn about Bayard Rustin, Marsha P. Johnson, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, Billy Frank Jr., and Nina Simone. We use the ARRR to structure our lessons, many of which are co-created and co-taught with my Instructional Coach. This approach helps students explore not just who these figures were, but how their identities, struggles, and contributions connect to larger movements for justice and liberation.

As for who is being silenced, I can’t think of specific activists we’ve left out intentionally, but this reflection is a good reminder of how important it is to bring in more local voices. I would like to build on our work about Billy Frank Jr. and look for additional activists from the PNW whose work mirrors students’ lives and communities. Making activism feel close to home can help students see themselves as changemakers, too.

One area I think our class is especially strong in is recognizing art as activism. Through our studies of Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Nina Simone, students begin to understand how creative expression can challenge injustice, celebrate identity, and inspire action.

As far as other things that are significant to me from this chapter, I just want to remember this quote: “In order for students to develop such understandings, educators must see themselves as activists whose work is about much more than teaching students to decode words.”

I’d like to get my hands on a copy of “We Have a Dream,” the first picture book in this chapter. The focus on environmental injustice seems like it would be a good fit to build on what we are learning about Billy Frank Jr. I think this book would connect with students through the lens of awareness especially.

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1.      I remember reading Frog and Toad, Magic Tree House, Harry Potter, Judy Blume books and being about to locate myself in these books and enjoying the adventures and stories. However, these books did not provide other perspectives and was incomplete.

2.      I read “I Am Every Good Thing” by Derrick Barnes. This book is such a powerful text and would be great anytime of the year. I would read this book specifically at the beginning of the year when we teach our Who We Are Unit and would use the affirmation prompts provided.

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1.      Community is very important in my classroom. We begin each day with a morning meeting where we greet each other, talk about an SEL focus, check in with one another, and connect. Connection is very important in our classroom and I believe that brings our community together. This predictable daily routine is so valuable and one of my very favorite parts of the day.

2.      Thinking about the ways books centered in curriculum and my teaching and how they connect to students’ home and school culture. It’s very important to me to connect with families and learn about their hopes and dreams for their student and what is important to their family. These conversations help me better know my students.

3.      I chose the book “My Bindi” and plan to read this in the Who We Are IB unit. I would ask the prompts “What are you learning about Divya?” and “What is Divya learning about wearing a bindi- its power, purpose, and connections to her identity?”

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I don't always feel equipped to lead discussions about race/racism. I hope that students feel safe in my space but I'm never sure if they will feel safe or if they will feel called out when I initiate is discussion based on a book I'm reading to them. I'm never sure I have enough time to respond when kids participate in discussion but they need more time to learn ways to speak that are kind, appropriate and/or truthful.

Unfortunately, our school district has been offering some PD but I think in our quest to be progressive we might not recognize the neuances of how that plays out in teaching a range of students, some of whom have families that talk about race relations at home, and some whose families may not have prepared them at all for thoughtful conversation that regocnizes everyone's humanity. In fact, when I talked about book banning this year and some reasons why books have been banned through the recent history in American schools, I made what our school district deemed a huge mistake when I tried to teach about a word that is in a particular book and the dehumanizing impact of that word and why people might have opinions about whether that book should be or not be available for kids to read. Our school district unfortunately makes teaching about race and racial justice scary because you can get punished for trying to have these conversations but doing it "wrong." So in some ways I feel supported (lots of new curricular resources are offered now esp. in the Since Time Immemorial curriculum) but I also am certain my school district does not have my back if they perceive a mistake.

I've read quite a few of the books on this chapter's list. I resonate strongly with the quote on page 165 "our own personal biases...show up...when we choose not to...wrestle with any cognitive dissonance we experience..." I feel like as a white female leading a discussion about race is scary. I know what the right thing to do is (this chapter is very clear about the need to disrupt and shatter silence!) but I'm still very uncertain about how to approach it.

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I actually had an experience today where I realized that I am ill-equipped with the language that we need to be able to teach kids in order to have conversations about racism. I read a book (Nacho's Nachos) that was set in the early 20th century in border towns in Texas and Mexico. It appeared that people from both sides traveled seamlessly across the border to visit different restaurants. I mentioned to the class that I had met a Mexican man who lived in a border town and he said it's not possible for him to visit a restaurant across the border, but that if he lived in the US maybe it would be easier to cross back and forth. Then I realized I didn't really know how to talk about it, and that I didn't want to disrespect a couple of students in the room that I know immigrated from Tijuana by bumbling though an explanation for why that might be, historically and currently. I guess my plans begin with becoming better informed about all sorts of current and historical events. Page 196: "Those who practice racial literacy have a strong historical knowledge of past events and can make connections to current events." If the teacher can't do that, how will the students learn?

I definitely related to the statement on page 195 "When educators are unequipped and ill-prepared, they tread lightly or avoid altogether topics that cause them discomfort."

I read Our Skin. This book really seems to be written to the preschool/kindergarten set. Besides the pages that talk about race and racism in the book, I would want to talk about how sometimes people say mean things to others because of their skin color. But I think for this book it might be better to keep the focus positive, helping very young children build the pathway of respecting people of all shades instead of focusing on the hate in the world. I can see bringing out the crayons shaded like skin tones and finding one that matches your skin, noticing that other kids have chosen other crayons. The kids could make a family portrait, noticing that their own family members might have differing skin tones and finding a crayon to match. Maybe on the page with all the names of different groups that would be a good chance to say that we all belong to one group, humans, and then we belong to all sorts of other groups, like our neighborhoods and families and different clubs we might join (soccer, gymnastics, etc.). The book says "Which groups do you belong to?" so I don't think Sonja Cherry-Paul would object to people belonging to a group, just the concept of race.

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As an Early Childhood educator, I often connect books to my lessons. We usually read a book before doing an activity for any given subject. I am hoping that the material in this study group will provide more opportunities for meaningful lessons and dialogue.

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1. "Young people are nourished when they are supported, encouraged, and have opportunities to activate their learning in meaningful ways." This resonates with me because providing meaningful learning opportunities has always been a focus and goal of mine in my teaching.

"It is a charge for educators to connect with parents and caregivers who are their children's first teachers, first to love them and know their hearts." My teaching centers around this truth that families are their children's first teachers. I strive every day to build trusting relationships with the grownups in my students' lives and walk alongside them as they navigate raising and teaching their children. I'm excited to read that Sonja Cherry-Paul believes this as well.

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2. A "Heroes and Holidays" curriculum is not enough. My students need to see themselves in books throughout the year. I can provide opportunities for my students to see themselves in the authors and the stories by adding more books written by Black and Brown authors that center around the lives of Black and Brown families. Only then will all students understand that they belong in our classroom, our school, and our community. My hope is as a result, my students will feel empowered to share more about their families, cultures, and experiences.

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I am so thankful for this asynchronous class. Often in PD's, we refer to this book. Questions are posed; comments are offered. Personally, I require more time to process before offering my thoughts. This study group has been perfect for me because I've been able to read the material, process, and organize thoughtful answers to the questions. Please do more of these!

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As an early childhood ed teacher I have been hoping to learn how to implement strategies for the younger grade levels.

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I agree with so many comments on here. I've been teaching a long time and have a large library of books. While reading this book and learning about Sonja Cherry-Paul during trainings, I've begun cleansing my library. I love how her book shares so many books that can help me bring these topics into my teaching. So as I cleanse my library of books I don't use, I am reading through her list and finding ones to add to my library.

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I would say for me this is how I rank how I embed the five characteristics:

1. Recognize culture, community and collective practices. I feel like for years I've focused on this as I get to know my students and their families. We spend a lot of time in the beginning of the year getting to know who is coming into our classroom and we use that knowledge (their cultural background, home languages) and incorporate it into parts of our day. With this book's help I can deepen what I am already doing, add layers to it. As a grade level team we have also worked this spring to create an IB unit on Who We Are and we are using books from SCP's list to add to this unit.

2. Teach racial literacy. As a school, and in my own classroom we have done teaching around this a lot this year using the text "Our Skin". These lessons have prompted class discussions and individual student discussions.

*These last three are goals for me to improve upon. As I add more books to my library based off her list I can incorporate them using the 'windows/mirrors' framework.

3. Center BIPOC in texts

4. Shatter silences around racism

5. Learn about community activists.

I enjoyed reading this chapter and about the six lenses. It ALL resonates with me. It makes complete sense to begin with affirmation because as SCP says so 'students know they are loved' and that 'they matter, not only in classrooms, but in the world'. This resonates with me. First, I have always strived to make sure my students feel welcomed and loved. But I am starting to analyze what books I've brought into my classroom and to question if they all help my students know that they matter. Also I teach at the younger grades so to focus on teaching them that they matter in the world means so much more to me than just in the classroom. This has to continue beyond when they are in my room and if we all focus on affirmation and awareness than we can help that happen.

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I have noticed that my reading as a child at home and at school did not create a lot of tension for me. I read books that were centered around white children/people and a lot of them were middle class. I read a lot of Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Nancy Drew, The Babysitters Club, etc. Upon reading this chapter, and from learning as a staff, it gives me pause to wonder how that would feel for students who are immersed in books that do not represent their cultures and how it would make them feel as if they don't matter. I enjoyed reading as a child and always felt affirmed as a person. It is so important that all students have that same feeling and it is on me as their teacher to support them and provide texts that they connect with, where they can see 'mirror's.

I have read "I Am Every Good Thing" and I plan on implementing it into our new Who We Are unit next fall at the beginning of the year. I have also planned on introducing "Luli and The Language of Tea" to my class as it would help with our Who We Are unit and add to part of our morning routine, where we greet each other in different languages. I know that one wasn't on the list. From the other ones listed in her book, I want to purchase them all, and have them all be a part of our library, our learning, our discussions.

This chapter also makes me think of some of the books I always read at the beginning of the year with my class and how the imbalance of representation amongst my students can show up. It helps me feel very reflective on what changes I am making and plan on making next fall.

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I work from the beginning of the year to begin creating a sense of community in my classroom. Students who feel safe, welcomed and loved feel more of a part of our community and tend to then be more successful. To help create a sense of community, we start each morning with a morning meeting where we all have a partner. We greet our partner in different languages and share something about our morning or the night before. We sing welcome songs together as a class, and talk on a regular basis about how we can be helpful or kind that day. We also celebrate when there is an exceptional example of kindness, helpfulness, or inclusiveness apparent. We all have a classroom job and a lot of the jobs are in pairs where children work together to help the classroom community. If a child is gone, children are always willing to take on their job of the day.

We learn what languages we want to incorporate into our daily greetings, based off what languages are represented in our classroom. This helps create discussions about our homes, what languages we speak, what traditions we celebrate. This year, we had a mom come in and teach us about Eid and Ramadan. I read The Night Before Eid to strengthen our learning.

Luli and The Language of Tea ties in well with our morning greetings as it's about how the children learn to communicate about the tea Luli brings to school. I plan on reading this as a continued discussion about what traditions we have at home and how we can bring them into the classroom. I plan on adding this to our Who We Are unit next fall.

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I strive to make my classroom a safe space where everyone is welcome and encouraged to be themselves and to bring what is important and uniquely wonderful about themselves. I believe that colleagues and staff PD has helped me with important conversations in the classroom and I continue to seek out opportunities to learn how to provide a space where important topics can continue to be talked about.

I see myself reading the book We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell. I would read this book and ask the prompts “What are you understanding about what it means to be Indigenous?”, “Who are the creators of the text?”, and “How does this book help you to understand the significance of Indigenous People’s Day?” and continue to read the book throughout the week to discuss these prompts.

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I feel that I am in a positive spot on the path towards racial literacy. I think it’s a journey that I will continue to be on and learn on as I continue to read books and collaborate with colleagues. When I hear of books, PD, or ways to learn, I lean in and continue to grow. I am eager to learn about this important work. I currently support students on this path by providing a space and opportunities to learn and discuss these important topics. Being sure these texts are in the classroom, read, and discussed is one way I am supporting.

It's important to reflect on my schooling and what information was taught and what stories were told to me. I have such a big role as an educator to change that.

I plan to reread “Our Skin” by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli and ask the prompts “What are you learning about how we all get our color?” and “What are you understanding about the word racism- how it happens and how it makes people feel?”.

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“Reading instruction that engages students in learning about people who work to improve their communities can help students understand that activists are not just the names of famous people written about in books; activists are all around them.” (page 225). This quote really stood out to me when completing the “Considering Curriculum, Books, and Activism” chart. I believe that many of the texts chosen this year have been ones that engage students in learning about people who help their community and educate students about many traditions and cultures. I am always eager to learn new ways of teaching and engaging students in this work. I continue to reach out and co-teach lessons with my Instructional Coach and feel very supported in this work.

I look forward to reading “We Have a Dream: Meet 30 Young Indigenous People and People of Color Protecting the Planet” by Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. I plan to focus on the Affirmation prompts and feel excited about these conversations!

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I really hope my classroom is safe. My goal from Day one of each year is to work to create an environment where all students feel loved, welcomed, included and safe. However as I learn read more of SCP's book and attend more trainings on antiracist reading, hate and bias speech and more, I am beginning to analyze more and more how I am creating this environment and what books I am using to do so.

I am beginning to include more discussions about race and racism, and am excited to add more.

When racialized situations occur, I do feel at my grade level that I can handle them. Also, I have wonderful support through my administration and instructional coach to help guide me through situations. We have had multiple trainings in all of these areas.

Something that resonated with me in this chapter was learning about the two books discussed, especially Jabari Jumps. I have read that books multiple times to my class and feel ashamed to say I didn't know the background of the author or the historical background for black people and swimming. I know want to learn more from my diverse class about their history with swimming and how this books resonates with them.

This really resonates with me that I need to pay attention to every book I introduce to my students. I worry it might make me pause when reading some of my favorites, but I hope it will also enlighten and invite me to have a safer environment for all my students and that my books will help all feel valued.

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If you are interested in viewing a One Note we are creating to house Antiracist Teaching resources and lesson plans please email kirsten.jensen@bellinghamschools.org

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I would say that I am a positively better space than I was a couple of years ago. Thankfully, we have spent a lot of time during team trainings, district-wide trainings, and with book studies to help ourselves feel better equipped and more knowledgeable so that we can help our students become stronger on their path to racial literacy.

I have read Our Skin and felt it was very appropriate to the younger grade that I work with. It was a wonderful introduction to racial literacy. As this year has progressed, I have enjoyed learning from this book and have been acquiring more and more books to help increase my racial literacy pathway. Being part of an IB school, I am excited to add more of these books into our Who We Are unit.

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I feel like my school overall is doing a good job of teaching students about activists. One a lot of classes have learned about is Billy Frank Jr. and a lot of these classes have done activities learning about him and his history and what lead to him being an activist. I have not spent as much time in this area, and as I read this chapter it helped me open my mind to how I can adapt this to the kindergarten grade. For example, I did recently purchase the book More than Peach and I am excited to read it to my class. I can see in the future that I could read it soon after we read Our Skin, as they can tie together for students to work on identifying crayons to match their skin color. I am also adding to our list for our IB unit Who We Are that we plan on starting in the fall of next year. I like the idea behind the book More than Peach because picking a skin color crayon has been a common problem in schools for years and children can relate to it. I like how Bellen the author points out that it has always been labeled the 'flesh' crayon and that there is only one flesh color. This is one example of how children have been socialized into the racial idea about skin color. I have done, and I've seen many other classes do the same, an activity where we have the crayon boxes filled with all the shades of brown skin tones and we find a crayon to match to our skin. Then throughout the year we then use our own personal skin tone crayon. This is one good way to fight against that socialized racist idea about skin color thrust upon children from a very young age,

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I currently feel excited but overwhelmed. From reading this book and doing research as a grade level team as we build our Who We Are IB unit, I feel excited to continue to learn about anti-racist reading and I am excited about this unit we are creating and the work we are going to be doing next year with our students. But I keep thinking about the quote "the real risk in the work of antiracism is doing nothing" and that makes me feel overwhelmed. I can identify as the teacher who often can feel ill-equipped in this teaching and then I do not know what to say or how to say it and then I could be 'doing nothing'. I want to better equip myself as I continue to learn about antiracist teaching so that I will be doing something and not nothing. In that way, I feel I will be improving my curriculum and my teaching.

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This text has been so powerful and I’m so glad to have read it. I feel excited to dive into my classroom library and complete an inventory of what texts are there. I now look at texts with a different lens and I love that learning. I’m also excited to take the learning from this text and bring it to our IB unit planning. This is such important work! I love the learning I have been part of this year and look forward to what PD is next. I’ve really enjoyed this padlet and having this space to reflect on the learning. Thank you!

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Reflect on the “Recalling Reading Experiences in School” grid (pp. 47-48) and your own book collage. What do you notice about your reading experiences at school? Are you able to locate yourself in the books that were centered in reading instruction and available in the classroom library? Do tensions exist between your identities and your book collage? If so, what tensions?

I don't ever remember a time in my life where I didn't have access to a huge library of books. I remember Dr. Seuss, Beverly Cleary, "The Pickles" series, Hardy Boys, Little House on the Prairie and so many more. I think one of the most memorable ever from my youth was "Where the Red Fern Grows." What I didn't see much of in the books of my early childhood were stories that reflected our families struggle with poverty.

As a teacher I am working hard to add titles to my library that are reflective of our school community - a few at a time. It is a process though.

Take a moment to think about the texts that are part of your reading instruction. Try to read at least one of the Antiracist picture books Dr. Cherry-Paul features in this chapter. What prompts can you see yourself using for reading minilessons that help us go beyond representation toward liberation? In what units? For what grade levels?

I am currently reading "I am Every Good Thing" with my class right now. We are focusing on affirmation right now with the story and moving forward (next year) I want to include how the book effects your heart and how identity is shaped.

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Sonja Cherry-Paul emphasizes the importance of interdependence in a first-grade classroom as a foundation for fostering a sense of community, justice, and solidarity. Young learners thrive when they see themselves as part of a collective, where their voices and experiences contribute to shared learning. Prioritizing collectivist practices means centering collaboration—such as group discussions, shared storytelling, and peer-supported reading—to build trust and mutual respect. Home cultures can be honored by integrating students’ lived experiences into classroom discussions, using texts that reflect diverse backgrounds, and inviting families to share traditions and stories. During our IB unit: Who We Are: “We Are Family” our central idea is, “Families Shape Who We Are”. We do a lot of sharing about the structures of our families, factors that influence our families, and personal identity, culture and traditions. Sharing at morning meeting throughout this unit and other units ensures that students feel seen, valued, and empowered in their learning journey.

I have used Berry Song by Michaela Goade in my first-grade classroom. One prompt aligned with affirmation was: "How does the girl’s relationship with her grandmother and the land show love and respect? What are ways we show love in our own families?" Some prompts for awareness I used were : “What can be learned from this story about the Tlingit people and caring for the earth? and What do you notice about the way the characters interact with nature? Why is it important to take care of the land?”

I plan to use, My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom. Many prompts could be used that foster identity, culture, and empowerment. A prompt for affirmation could be: "How does the main character feel about their hair? What is something about yourself that makes you feel proud? and What are you learning about Indigenous Peoples and the significance of hair?” For awareness, students might reflect on: "Why do you think hair is important in this story? What are ways people express their identity through their customs, traditions and physical traits? How can we celebrate and respect cultural identity in our classroom?" This book will weave in beautifully to our Who We Are, “We Are Family” unit. These prompts help young learners engage with themes of identity, self-expression, heritage, and community in meaningful ways.

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I do believe my class is safe and I work hard on creating community and belonging in my room. Through morning meetings, Work Time, art projects that capture students’ unique cultures and identities, and inviting family members in to contribute to our learning in our units are just a few examples of the on-going community building that takes place in my classroom.

I have a long way to go to incorporate the learnings in this book and my most recent learning in a district/school-wide PD called Working for Racial Justice in Elementary School Classrooms. Here I learned about the foundational knowledge and tools to address anti-bias and anti-racism in the classroom. We explored foundational concepts of race, racism, and anti-racism and learned how to identify and address dehumanizing language. I also gained strategies for empowering myself and my students to recognize and stand up to hate speech and to interrupt, ask questions, educate, and echo against hate speech. As a takeaway from both of these courses, for personal accountability, I want to do a classroom library book audit and remove and add more literature to my room that supports a commitment to an antiracist community.

In Chapter 4, what seems significant is that Sonja Cherry-Paul emphasizes the need to move beyond surface-level diversity and into critical literacy practices that challenge stereotypes, disrupt bias, and support the development of students' racial literacy—even at a young age. As a first grade teacher, this aligns strongly with the understanding that early literacy is not just about decoding words, but also about decoding the world.

One particularly powerful takeaway might be:

"Children are never too young to start thinking critically about fairness, justice, and identity. In fact, they are already forming ideas—our job is to help guide those ideas in affirming, truthful, and liberating directions."

Next year I would like to read the book, We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, written by Traci Sorell. I would focus on the Affirmation prompts of, “What are you understanding about what it means to be Indigenous? and What are you learning about resistance and resilience of the Native Peoples?”

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I feel like I am just beginning on the path to racial literacy. This book and discussions with my grade level colleagues and my librarian have helped me to understand the huge responsibility I have to my students and my community. It all starts with education and resources. I was talking with my principal the other day that if we tackled this school-wide for some accountability, we could start small by choosing a few books to really dive into at each grade level and provide the resources for the classrooms. A big summer project I alluded to in the last chapter response is a classroom library audit. I have more books that I can store in my room, and I really need to go through them and incorporate more books by and about BIPOC in my classroom. Then of course, move beyond representation and towards action and commitment for racial literacy.

Next year, I would like to read, Our Skin, A First Conversation About Race, written by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli. I would use the Affirmation prompts of, “What are you learning about the uniqueness of skin color? What are you learning about how we all get our color? What do you admire about your skin color? This would be a great read-aloud for the beginning of the year when we do our self-portraits.

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In Chapter 6, a particularly significant idea for me is the emphasis on introducing young students to local and global activists who work to dismantle racism and injustice. This chapter encourages educators to connect classroom learning to real-world examples of activism, fostering a sense of agency and community in young learners. This is an area that I will need support on and I’d like to work with my IB instructional coach to see if we can find more connections with activists within our units. This concept is impactful because early exposure to activism can inspire students, even at a young age, to think critically about fairness and justice. I also believe it can create empathy and solidarity in our youngest learners. When they understand the struggles and triumphs of activists it can cultivate empathy within, teaching them to stand up to others and the importance of others working towards justice.

I loved Bridget’s ideas above about, More Than Peach: Changing the World…One Crayon at a Time! written by Bellen Woodard. I will be using this book, along with, Our Skin, at the beginning of the year next year. I would use the  Awareness prompts  and pathways to discuss “the skin-colored” crayon.

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I feel excited and overwhelmed by the huge responsibility to my students to create more racial literacy within my classroom. I also feel a bit guilty for years of providing very few BIPOC mirrors and windows within my classroom library and reading my “favorites” which had very little representation. Know more, do better. This is now the journey I am on and feel so inspired and supported by my instructional coach, librarian, principal and grade level team. It is hard work and fundamental work in creating change and justice. This book and padlet have been so valuable to learn and process all the ideas and resources. I love all the prompts and book ideas. I look forward to creating change in my practice and finding ways to commit to this continued learning with others in my building.

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I read and interacted with the book More than Peach. I don't know how I managed to not get my post actually posted here, and I'm not going to rewrite it but you can see I was here commenting on others' posts 19 days ago and now I'm moving on to chapter 7!

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1. I am feeling inspired. I do want to attend more to this important work. I do think I will look differently at every book I approach with students and that I am better equipped now with the lenses to look through. It will be a learning curve for sure, and I'm sure I will continue to experience discomfort and some anxiety as I embark more intentionally on this journey. I'm thankful for the opportunity to engage in this book club. It was challenging work and will continue to be! I do also have fear, though. On page 255 Cherry-Paul addresses this and says it is important that we make mistakes and then confront them rather than attempting to minimize or conceal them. But people don't always have a lot of grace when you make a mistake, so I still have fear that I will mess up because I don't know enough yet and it won't be just as easy as an apology. I might commit a microagression that hurts feelings; I might still be living very much in my whiteness and think I've made progress but it's not enough progress. So yes, there's some fear there! I don't think the fear is related to the work with my students, though. It's more about the other people (adults) that might be in the room making judgements.

2. I love the toolkits at the end of chapter 7, especially the ones for students to use. This work is not all about the teacher choosing the right books. It's also about the students recognizing their bias and making changes in their lives - how much more powerful to have kids (white and BIPOC) evaluating the materials that are placed in front of them! Love it.

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At this point in the year, everything feels super busy and chaotic: wrapping up assessments, final projects, making food for parties and potlucks, writing report cards (eek!) and saying goodbye to students has left me feeling stretched! At the same time, reading Dr. Cherry-Paul’s words on page 255 reminds me that even in the midst of the end-of-the-year chaos, choosing inaction is a risk I don’t want to take. The work of antiracism deserves my continued attention, even when things feel like they are brimming over.

To carry this work forward, I plan to revisit a few key chapters and re-read some of the picture books we used during the year over the summer, jotting down reflections and ideas for future lessons. I’ll also set aside time in August to map out a few anchor texts and discussion structures for the fall, so I can begin next year with clarity, momentum, and a strong foundation for continuing antiracist teaching. One of my summer reading goals is to read more of the picture books from ARRR and think of art lessons to go with them.

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So excited to work on Unearthing Joy! From what I've read so far, this book is totally my jam!

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I think hunger is an issue in many communities – our community included -  and poverty exacerbates limited access to healthy food.  The issue regarding conversations about race is currently changing in Bellingham but I feel many of our surrounding communities (and let’s face it – our country – continue to ignore this learning.  Also, book banning is not an issue (that I am aware of) in Bellingham but I am unsure about the surrounding areas.  One of the things that brings change (in my opinion) is an organic process began by a spark (like the spark started in “More Than Peach.”  My favorite line in that book is “I have been the spark!”  I plan on using this book in my classroom integrated into my beginning of the year writing unit.

One passage in this chapter stated, “The current landscape of book censorship and banning creates additional challenges to teaching and learning about activists and activism (pg. 224).”  My own personal “micro-activism” in this sphere is to READ and share books from these lists with my community.

I’m not sure how I will approach activism in my kindergarten classroom, but I feel like I have some good places to begin facilitating age appropriate conversations in kindergarten.  I really, really, love good books to support this!!!!!

Kirsten – what about beefing up the activism portion of our “Salmon” unit?  I really think Billy Frank Jr. and “being a salmon protector” is a great person to start with?

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I think if students see the teacher as the bearer of all knowledge in the classroom – the community is bound to have massive difficulties.  When students learn they can depend on each other for support across the day – everyone does better.  As a teacher I try to highlight students individual strengths publicly (with their permission) so their peers know who to approach for help or empower others to offer.    We work very hard in kindergarten to learn how to care for our community (both physical space and each other) – working to change our id focus out.

As a teacher I meet with every family prior to the beginning of the school year to find a bit more about their strengths, priorities and needs.  We are currently writing a “Who We Are” unit for IB and plan to incorporate more about our families structures and identities into our learning.

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I am still very triggered by the word “interrogate” in her writing.  It brings up images of criminality in my brain and actually turns my brain off for a bit.  I am trying to think about that a little bit more.

The discussion about “white gazed” made me think all learners write and tell about what they know FIRST…and we need to start there.  Each Monday we do a “weekend window” writing in kindergarten where students tell about an experience from their weekend.  We begin by orally sharing it in our morning meeting THEN writing – this is an example of writing and telling about what they know first.

I read “The Night Before Eid” with my students during Ramadan and with the help of a kindergarten parent – it was amazing.  My favorite part of the experience was watching the joy on one of my students faces, who recently moved from Afghanistan, while we learned.  Next year I am particularly interested in talking about traditions and artifacts from celebrations.

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“The kinds of books we make available in our classrooms lets students know whether the possibilities for their lives are limitless or limited.”  (pg.  157)

I’ve said this earlier in this padlet, and I’ll say it again, I have been working really hard to curate my collection of books to be more representative of our community. It is difficult work but I believe worth it – this was a powerful quote for me.

I believe our school, and my classroom, are safe spaces.  As a teacher, my relationships with students are at the heart of everything we do and my teaching this last few months have focused on being a heart protector and ally for all individuals in our community.

I was struck by the quote “once a stone is tossed, or a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back (pg. 165).”  We center our classroom learning about this idea during our lesson about “Charlie”  and the pain of what is said or done REMAINS even after you have apologized – it leaves a mark on our heart.

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I am on the path and trying to get a bit further with the lessons and experiences I plan.  Just now I was thinking about my morning meeting – last year I began reading a social/emotional based book on Monday mornings and then using it for partner and whole group discussions all week.  This could be a great opportunity to incorporate some of the texts in Dr. Cherry-Paul’s book (and I already have many of them).  I guess I’m thinking about intentionality.  I love starting with affirmation during our discussions as it matches with kindergarten students ‘id’ focus.  I feel like “Where are You From” is a great book to begin this conversation about affirmation with.

I’ve thought a bit about “one-sided truths” and think it is a very powerful.  In every situations there is more than one-side and understanding all perspectives is super important.

Also “Whose stories and experiences are etched in stone” had me thinking about those who have the language and experiences of the majority.

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Truthfully – overwhelmed and anxious.  There are SO MANY things educators are asked to pay attention to and are responsible for I am always afraid I may fail my students.  I love when she wrote we (educators) will make mistakes BUT “When we own our impact (pg. 255) there are power in mistakes, choosing to recognize them and doing better.  My plan is to take “small bites” at a time and incorporate them into existing classroom systems.

The imagery and the dandelion really sat with me this entire book and the following quote struck me particularly, “Dandelions are a call to seek and know love even in the bleakest landscapes…Growth just isn’t possible without love (pg. 254).”  Last summer I visited Auschwitz and one thing that struck me were the volunteer flowers growing in crevices and cracked concrete – I wonder if they grew during the war too?  Did they represent hope to the victims?  That is what they represent to me and I hope to grow my students with love and seeing.

One final thought.  To me, reading = Joy + Access + Identity and that is the intention with which I teach.

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I look forward to learning what critical lenses I need to provide antiracist reading instruction.

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I enjoy being able to take my time to think about the ways in which I can apply my learning to the classroom. I also enjoy reading others responses before replying:)

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Okay multiple areas of this first chapter resonated for me. Here are two that were wowees:

Pg. 12 "What we do with the books we make central in our teaching moves us forward." This simple sentence has a lot of impact. As she states that representation is not enough we need to teach into antiracism.

Pg. 22 "To truly love we must learn to mix various ingredients- care, affections, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust as well as honest and open communication." All these ingredients are important in making our students feel accepted and willing to ask questions.

I also want to state that I do not see myself as the keeper of knowledge in my classroom and I try to bring many voices into the conversation. When it comes to an antiracist framework for teaching I will draw upon others that can speak to different social identities.

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Most to least embeded:

1) center BIPOC in texts

2) shatter silences around racism

3) learn about community activists

4) recognize cultural, community, and collective practices

5) teach racial literacy

Thinking about the critical lens of "awareness" and this concept of truth being love resonates deeply for me. Truth should not strive to belittle or hurt but rather unite in love.

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I could definitely see myself in the books that I read as a child. I had a lot of autonomy as a kid. Some of my favorite books talked of running free and wild (my favorite was, Ronia the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren). I don't recall having much intention around read alouds. They were seen as a break from the monotony of the day for us as well as the teacher. Stories are so much more.

I loved reading, My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero when I was a librarian. The book was a Washington Children's Choice nominated book awhile back (2021), so I had the good fortune to read the book to the K-3rd graders. The author is a daughter of Mexican immigrants and strives to reflect the personal identities of her community. I look forward to re-reading this book with very intentional lenses- gentrification, immigration, and importance of community/family.

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I am looking forward to learning more about read a louds and lessons that I can use in my IB units and books to support antiracist instruction during our reading groups/lessons.

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I appreciate having a resource to read and reactions/responses to look at from others. It helps me to have the padlet to hold me accountable to sitting down and reading and thinking about antiracist reading!

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One quote that resonated with me from page 9, "When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part." I am excited about being more intentional about the books that I read aloud and have available for students to read in my room. This has been a goal of mine for a few years and now I am reenergized to make this a priority. The author also points out the children from dominant social groups who have had mirrors in books through out their lives, also have suffered from a lack of diversity in books. They need these books as a window into reality so that they can better understand a multi-cultural world. I am so glad that we have more books available to us to share with our students this year! Thanks to all that have been working to improve our libraries!

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1. recognize cultural, community, and collective practices. I have been focusing on learning more about my students and beginning the school year with our IB unit about Who We Are. In this unit we focus on identity. I have really enjoyed using IB to help students have a more global perspective.

2. Center BIPOC in texts: being intentional about text selection and learning about the author's writing the books that we share.

3. Shatter Silences around racism: Having open conversations about racism. I am comfortable talking about racism with my students, but would love more resources and different voices to help me.

4. Teach racial literacy: This is an area that I want to focus on and I think that our new resources should help.

5. Learn about community activists: I would love to have support in this area:

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The critical lens of affirmation is so crucial for making changes in our society. If children don't feel seen, valued, loved, and that they matter then they aren't going to be as willing to work on seeing different perspectives and be open to learning new things. I feel like awareness is becoming more and more important. How can we help student find truth? I love the idea that truth is love and liberation!

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I was read to a lot as a child! JRR Tolkien, Anne of Green Gables, all of the Newberry books, Judy Blume, and so on. I feel like the Newberry books did provide different perspectives and a little bit of diversity although my teachers didn't really lean into teaching about racism or identity. We didn't have a lot of discussions about the books that we read to us. I could find myself in many of the books read to me (although, I really did wish that I was an elf, or had bright red hair!) One book that I read last year was Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor. Not only was it exciting to share about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer with my class I love how she writes about feeling different and writes about children with lots of different types of challenges. I don't know if this is considered an antiracist book, or not, but it is a beautiful book to teach to learn about tolerance and identity.

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I was just having a flashback about a book that my teacher read to us when I was middle school age. It was called The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox. That book had a profound impact on me! I remember being horrified by slavery and the ships used to haul kidnapped people to America. I think that this book shaped how I thought about American history for the rest of my life.

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I love the definition of collective: moving in sync and working on behalf of the common good of the group. The whole idea of thinking beyond ourselves! Phew. This seems like a really important political statement right now (sorry!). I work hard to create a classroom culture of interdependence through classroom meetings, setting goals, talking about strengths and challenges, working through problems together, morning meetings focusing on SEL, closing circles focusing on reflection and goal setting, individual and small group discussions, and so on.

I love the book, Uncle John's City Garden by Bernette Ford! I am an avid gardener and I love being a part of a community garden in Bellingham. I love that this book is autobiographical! This book has all of my favorite things wrapped up under one cover! Gardening, family, feeding people and the power of nature. Loved it and will definitely read it to my class this year.

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I strive to make sure that all of my students feel loved, safe and that they belong. I think that this takes a lot of work and time. It takes classroom meetings, discussions, activities, read alouds, individual time with kids and mindful responses to challenges and problems that occur throughout the year. I usually feel confident about responding to racial issues as they come up, but I haven't had a lot of experience with racial problems (very white school). When racial problems occur, I have help from our counselor and our principal and they both do an excellent job leading kids through these situations (often happening on the playground). I would love some lessons/prompts so that I can do a better job. It has been really helpful for me to use the statement: that dehumanizes people. I have taught my students what that means.

A book that I want to read again next year is Berry Song by Michaela Goade. This book fits really well into our IB unit around the theme of Where we are in Place and Time. I love it because I grew up on an island and we did a lot of berry picking (mirror) and I love it because it focuses on the importance of respecting and connecting with nature and how important that is for indigenous people. I think that a lot of children can think of traditions/stories/songs that they have learned from older generations. This book just has so many layers! I will focus on:

Affirmation: What are you learning about the various ways they spend time together and interact with their environment?

Awareness: (teach the word: indigenization) What can be learned from this story about Tlingit people and caring for the earth? I also love that pathway: This story provides a vision for living in ways that respect and honor the land.

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I am also reading Unearthing Joy and loving it! I am looking forward to using the song lists, poetry, book suggestions and art activities next year!

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I am feeling pretty confident about where I am on the pathway! I know that I am always learning and changing and that I will continue to grow an change as a person and educator. I never feel like an expert on anything and that is how I feel about where I am on path to racial literacy. Ready to learn more. I am leaning into creating more opportunities for discussions about racism. Our IB Unit Who We Are is always a great way to start these discussions as we are talking about identity.

I am excited about reading A Crown for Corina (flower lover that I am!) I think that this book would fit right into our Who We Are unit! We talk and share a lot about family traditions. I love that each flower has a special story.

Awareness: How do people's identities shape their life experiences?

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Community is key for kids to feel confident in learning. There are many ways in which we create community in our classroom. One way is to allow students to take ownership of some areas of the physical classroom (decoration, movement of some furniture, lighting). Another way of course is through morning meetings, celebration of all sorts of learning, and commending those that ask questions. I do not shy away from (even with my 2nd graders) sharing the reasoning for learning certain things in class. This is important in modeling how to create a safe community built on honesty and trust.

I loved having family members share their passions with the class this last year and hope to find more opportunities this year as it allows us to open deeper to each other.

I look forward to reading Berry Song written and illustrated by the amazing Michaela Goade. Sharing who she is and why she does what she does ties nicely in with the above importance of modeling the building blocks necessary for community.

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Some powerful stuff comes up in this chapter and I found myself wanting to say, "..but really Dr. Sonja cherry-Paul?!" Yes, really. We cannot refute that the books of yesteryear were written from a white homogenic lens. I am shocked that Patchett and DiCamillo did not outright state the reason for the change in Because of Winn Dixie. For authors with that much following-wow just wow. In a place where they could have been models for change they blew it, DiCamillo blew it.

I would say that we strive as educators to create safe spaces for all our students to thrive regardless of their identities. I sometimes get caught up on the how part of discussing about race and racism. I want all students to be able to participate in the ways that make them feel they are valued and safe whether that be through art, words, etc..

If/when racialized issues occur I think the thing I would want is to be part of a team for response. I am a slow processor and need others to be my sounding board.

We Are Still Here is very important to share around Indigenous Peoples' Day and in our opinion and informational writing units.

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Individually I feel that I am on the path to racial literacy. It has been important to have p.d. and a district that supports the antiracist framework. I plan to be even more intentional in teaching racial literacy this year. I love this book even though some things are hard to digest without pangs of sadness.

The history that I was taught (I know I am not alone) was so eurocentric/racist. I remember having my own epiphanies in high school, "why am I not hearing all the other perspectives of this event (I understand now that this still centers white colonizers but hey I was young and unaware)?", "what was it like in the US prior to white colonizers?" and "what more am I missing?"

Skin Again seems like it would compliment Our Skin. Love that this book is so simple but so powerful. Misconception of racial identity based on generalizations occurs when you don't take the time to get to know people. This book is fabulous.

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I have not read Unearthing Joy but am hoping to grab a copy this Fall!

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I am drawn to this, "..activists are not just the names of famous people written about in books; activists are all around them (students)"pg 225. I would love to find out about more local activism that is occurring in our community. There is a lot of hate happening in our country and in our world right now. How do we teach into this without jeopardizing the well being of students that are directly impacted by this; how do we ease fear while doing this work? I am thinking of ICE raids in our community/racial profiling..

I love We Have a Dream: Meet 30 Young Indigenous People and People of Color Protecting the Planet! This is such a great launching point into further discovery about these amazing humans as well as into our own local protectors. I also love that Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul specifies that using the language and terminology of the author allows us to respectfully and whole heartedly listen to their words.

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I am excited to start the new year with ideas that I gleaned from this book. I feel that I have the support of my instructional coach and other classroom teachers. Yes, I see this risk of doing nothing as a catalyst for me to do something. I love that this book has fantastic book lessons (win/win) which will allow me to focus on deep conversations with my class.

SCP says that holding ourselves accountable for the mistakes that we will make (rather than minimizing/concealing them) shows families that our relationships with them matter.

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Reading and thinking about the chart on page 222 is perfect for this time of year as I think about working on my first IB unit of the school year. I need to focus on finding more books to help me teach about activists. Traditionally I have taught about Martin Luther Kind Jr, Ruby Bridges, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, and so on. I would like to focus on more local activists. We have learned about Billy Frank Jr (school wide study). We have tied these lessons to our IB units throughout the year. We focus on who the people are, their identifies and contributions.

I can't think of an activist that I have silenced. I do talk to my students whenever we do a biography report/study about thinking about the people represented and who might be left out (POC, women).

My students have a better understanding about the history of Whatcom County. We learn about local indigenous people and talk about the Elliot treaty and how people have been treated in our community. I also always teach about the Pledge of Allegiance and remind kids that we are working on liberty and justice for all and that it is going to take all of us to make sure that this is something that is a truth for our country.

The quote that is sticking with me is from page 225. "We're in the business of building humans who can do more than just what we assign them in the classroom..." Antiracist teaching branches our beyond classrooms and schools and into communities, transforming students' lives"

I am exciting about using the book We Have a Dream by Dr. Mya-Rose Craig. This book is going to be a great resource for many of our IB units. I will focus on affirmation and awareness questions and then hopefully some activism from the kids!

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I am grateful for this opportunity to grow my own knowledge and understanding about antiracist teaching. This book is an amazing resource. I feel inspired to make this a priority this year. I feel like we all have a huge responsibility to lean into this work. I am so grateful that I work in a district that is encouraging us to do more rather than telling us to remove posters, take down work, ban books and rewrite history. Our country is going through a rough time, and it isn't going to get better unless we all lean in and make it better (oops, was that too political?). This inspires me: Page 255 " ...the work of fighting for change is not fleeting; it's enduring. And it will require us to approach teaching as activists who are committed to antiracism even in times of tension"

The book lists throughout the book and toolkits at the of chapter 7 should make this work easier for us! Thank you for the opportunity to join this book club.

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I had the opportunity to listen to Sonya Cherry-Paul present at WWU a while ago so I am excited to refresh and reread her book. I am hoping to continue this work at the early childhood level

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To be able to read this book and response asynchronously while on maternity leave has been a gift. Also to be able to read other people ideas and reflects allows me to think critically about my own thought and reflects with depth.

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Here is how I would rank how I embed the characteristics of antiracist teaching (Most to least)

1. Center BIPOC

2. Recognize Cultural, Community, and collective practices

3. Teach Racial Literacy

4. Shatter Silences around racism

5. learn about community activists

When reading about lenses of Affirmation she said "Educators can facilitate in way that help students to recognize this in the book they read and discuss with peers." This resonates with me because it allows the teaching to be organic and when thinking about Kindergarten our teaching often occurs during play and conversations among peers and not always in the books. ANd I am thinking about how even just affirming in a conversation during play can translate to interest in reading/listening to diverse books. In the awareness section the part the resonates is that truth is love.

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1. Reflecting on my own reading experiences in school I realized most of the books I read were with white male characters or animals. I don't really feel any tension but i do realize awareness and how these perspectives may have impacted my view. Even just thinking about Little House on the Praire. I reread this book as grownup and noticed quite of few racist tendencies that I didn't notice at a child.

2.I read I am Golden and I am not sure I would use this particular book for kindergarten or maybe just use parts of it there is so much to unpack for 5 years and would require alot of preteaching because there is so much figurative language. But I see this book as a good tool to start that conversation and using the questions How does this text reflect the identities and lived experiences of the characters/people? Also what are you learning about the characters? I would follow up with how to show kindness to others and explore how we are the same and different.