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Watch this video to learn the basics when citing resources.

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Wonder is a story about a ten-year-old boy named August Pullman who has facial differences. This book is part of the 5th-grade curriculum.

To locate this book in our library use the call number F PAL

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Get a preview of the book by listening to this read a loud.

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BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology.

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BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology

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Watch this video to learn more about plagiarism.

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Explaining Plagiarism (Paraphrasing & Citing too!)

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This video explains what an Inclusive classroom looks like and tip to help with your space.

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Mrs. Radano's Epic Inclusivity Collection

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Mrs. Radano's Epic Inclusivity Collection

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Check out a variety of fiction and non fiction books, read to me and videos on Epic.

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Inclusivity Titles Book Collection on Epic

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View the Inclusivity Titles collection on Epic plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Use the district log in to explore 40000+ online story books, audiobooks, fairy tales and more.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Use your district-provided login to preview books available in our library that highlight kindness and inclusivity.

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Click here for past posts.

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1. PBS Video

https://www.pbs.org/video/pov-a-visit-from-biblioburro/

2. Lesson plan http://www.monicabrown.net/files/WaitingfortheBiblioburroguide.pdf

3. Read aloud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-WTJjb9lPo

4. Podcast

https://smalltalk.fm/ep/Dream-Big-Podcast-for-Kids-DB-324-Life-Lessons-From-Frida-And-Encanto-Lets-Celebrate-Hispanic-Heritage-Month

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Lessons on Safety, Privacy, and Security; Legal and Ethical Behavior; Digital Identity; and the Impact of Computing are aligned with the state digital literacy standards and have been developed and tailored to age-appropriate content.

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Watch Sara Mauldin share her experience and why inclusion is so important.

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Sara Mauldin recognizes that she grew up in a society which separates people with disabilities. It encourages a perception that individuals with disabilities are lesser humans than those without. Mauldin advocates for the celebration, not seperation, of all people. As a special education teacher and a disability rights advocate, Mauldin has dedicated her adult career to including students with disabilities in the classroom and on the playground. She is working towards a future in which children with disabilities and children without are all allowed to learn and play together, and to share the same humanity.

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How to Create an Inclusive Classroom - Diversity and Inclusion in Education

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Want to add something to the page or have questions? Contact Mrs. Radano at kradano@bhpsnj.org

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Gain insight on ways to promote inclusivity in your classroom with this peer reviewed article.

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Inclusivity and Belonging in the Classroom

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Inclusivity is a term often used in special education to describe the integration of students with disabilities into the general education setting. Inclusivity, however, can also refer to the feeling of being included, in other words, a sense of belonging.

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This book helps kids learn about the disability rights movement while also telling the true story of a little girl who helped make a difference in the world.

To locate this book in our library use the call number E PLE

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Enjoy this read-aloud of All The Way To The Top.

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All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities... Read Aloud

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Visit Mrs. Radano's site for all your library and reading needs.

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Please follow the links below to access individual pages on my site!

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Selected Reads share their list for the Best Kids Books on Diversity and Inclusion. Check it out here!

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Children's books about diversity and inclusion is the topic of our blog post today!

In an increasingly interconnected world, the importance of teaching diversity and inclusion within our classrooms cannot be overstated. The research literature in this regard has clearly emphasized the positive impacts of diversity education, including increased creativity, critical thinking, and empathy among students (APA, 2022).

With this evidence in mind, I delved into a meticulous search, informed by my years of classroom teaching and ongoing research in educational studies. My goal was to compile a collection of children's books that uniquely represent the principles of diversity and inclusion.

Each book selected not only offers a captivating story but serves as a crucial tool for educators, parents, and guardians seeking to imbue our young learners with the values of empathy, understanding, and acceptance of differences.

The following collection, gathered through careful consideration and a thorough examination of available resources, reflects my commitment to fostering an environment where all children can see themselves represented and learn about others. Join me in exploring these engaging stories that promise to enrich the minds and hearts of the next generation.

For teachers and educators, check out diversity and inclusion books for teachers!

Children's Books about Diversity and Inclusion

Here are our top picks for children's books about diversity and inclusion:

This heartwarming book portrays a day in a welcoming school where children from all backgrounds celebrate each other's traditions.

It's a vivid representation of inclusion and love, offering a hopeful vision of how the world could be. It's a must-read for fostering a sense of community and acceptance in young readers.

This vibrant rhyming picture book emphasizes that every child is unique, whether in appearance, abilities, or interests. It encourages children to accept and celebrate individuality, both in themselves and others, promoting kindness and empathy. A great tool for teaching kids about acceptance and self-love.

3. "Hair Love" by Matthew A. Cherry

Zuri's hair is wild and beautiful, just like her. This touching story revolves around a father learning to style his daughter's natural hair. It's a celebration of familial love, self-acceptance, and embracing one's unique beauty. A perfect gift to celebrate the bond between fathers and daughters.

Through lyrical text and dazzling art, this book acknowledges the universal feeling of being an outsider and the bravery it takes to share our stories. It reminds us that reaching out and being ourselves can create beautiful connections. An inspiring read that encourages children to embrace their uniqueness.
Related: Sex Education Books for Kids
Unhei's struggle with her unique name after moving from Korea is the central theme of this bestselling classic. The story explores the anxiety of fitting in and the importance of embracing one's identity. With the support of a new friend, Unhei learns that the best name is her own, conveying a powerful message about pride and self-acceptance.

This charming story follows seven-year-old Lena as she learns that brown skin comes in various shades. By painting the different colors she sees in her neighborhood, Lena celebrates the beautiful diversity in the world around her.

Karen Katz, inspired by her daughter's adoption from Guatemala, crafts a tender and enlightening tale that encourages children to see and appreciate the unique beauty in themselves and others.

This innovative board book begins the conversation about race with young readers, providing concrete language and imagery that children can grasp. With a thoughtful approach to a complex subject, it's a valuable resource for both children and adults, encouraging dialogue about race, self-awareness, and recognizing inequality.

A commendable effort to equip families with the tools to engage in meaningful conversations about race from an early age.

An inspiring story of Faizah and her older sister Asiya's first day of wearing hijab. With beautiful blue fabric symbolizing strength and beauty, the story explores the unbreakable sibling bond and pride in one's culture.

Facing challenges and prejudice, Faizah learns to stand strong and be proud of who she is. An uplifting tale that resonates with readers of all backgrounds, fostering understanding and respect.

9. "Sulwe" by Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita Nyong'o's "Sulwe" takes readers on a magical journey with a young girl who struggles with her dark skin tone. Feeling out of place in her family and school, Sulwe embarks on a mystical adventure that helps her see her unique beauty.

The whimsical illustrations and poetic narrative captivate readers, offering a powerful message about self-acceptance, self-esteem, and embracing one's natural beauty.

Penned by United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, this insightful book celebrates diversity and the unique abilities that people have. Drawing from her own childhood experiences with diabetes, Sotomayor introduces children with various challenges and emphasizes the special powers they possess.

The narrative, woven around a community garden, encourages readers to ask questions and appreciate the differences that make our world vibrant. The lesson that different doesn't mean less, but rather enriches our community, is a fundamental message in education, and this book embodies that principle.

This beautifully written story follows CJ and his grandma on their regular Sunday bus ride across town. Through thoughtful questions and grandma's wise and encouraging responses, CJ begins to see the world around him differently.

Emphasizing the value of perspective, contentment, and finding joy in simple things, de la Peña crafts a heartfelt tale that teaches children to appreciate the beauty in everyday life. It's a reminder that sometimes our questions lead us to unexpected insights, something I've found to be true time and again in the classroom.

Join little Nick as he navigates his fears of being different because of his new reading glasses. This delightful book, filled with charming illustrations and rhymes, takes readers on Nick's journey to discovering that diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

It encourages children to embrace who they are, be kind to others, and celebrate the uniqueness in everyone. The teaching here aligns perfectly with what we as educators strive for: fostering self-confidence, kindness, and an understanding of diversity.

Vincent Kelly's colorful exploration of multicultural differences is both fun and educational. It fosters an understanding that our unique attributes make us special and human.

For educators and parents alike, this book can be a starting point for dialogues on acceptance and individuality. Having seen the power of creative rhymes and illustrations in engaging children, I can appreciate how this book would resonate with young readers.

This clever story about communication transcends mere language learning. It teaches empathy, patience, and the willingness to understand others from their perspective.

The idea that it's not up to others to "speak Boy" but for us to learn how to "speak Fish" is a poignant lesson in cultural sensitivity. It reminds me of the need to tailor our teaching methods to the individual needs of students, recognizing that everyone has a unique way of understanding the world.

Shola Oz's "I Am Whole" celebrates the mixed backgrounds and cultures that enrich our communities. It's a vibrant tribute to diversity that encourages children to embrace the various aspects of their heritage.

This resonates strongly with my own experience in fostering an inclusive classroom environment, where children's differences are recognized as strengths.

16. "We All Belong" by Nathalie Goss, Alex Goss, and Goss Castle

This beautifully crafted poem acknowledges the diversity and inherent beauty in all cultures and races. By encouraging empathy and recognition of our shared humanity, "We All Belong" provides a valuable lesson in compassion. I appreciate the included activity, which can be an effective tool in teaching children how we can be similar yet distinct.

Alicia Ortego explores the complex emotions tied to acceptance and the power of embracing our differences. The story of Lisa's discovery of the true meaning of diversity is a heartwarming testament to the importance of understanding and compassion.

It's a valuable resource for teachers and parents who aim to cultivate an atmosphere where differences are celebrated as superpowers.

"We're Different, We're the Same" takes the lovable characters from Sesame Street to create an essential dialogue about similarity and difference, reaching children in a warm and accessible way.

The power of storytelling and beloved characters can indeed help shape young minds' understanding of diversity, as supported by Dr. Louise Derman-Sparks, an author and lecturer specializing in early childhood education (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

"Pink Is for Boys" by Robb Pearlman further challenges the traditional gender binary, inviting children to see beyond stereotypes and embrace all colors, no matter who they are.

This aligns with research that highlights the importance of dismantling gender norms at a young age, allowing children to grow with a more expansive and accepting view of themselves and others (Martin & Ruble, 2004).

Concluding thoughts

These children's books about diversity and inclusion are more than mere stories; they are opportunities for growth, connection, and compassion. They can help lay the foundation for a more inclusive future, one where differences are celebrated and connections are nurtured. I encourage you to explore these titles with the children in your life.

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Children's Books About Diversity And Inclusion - Selected Reads

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Children's books about diversity and inclusion is the topic of our blog post today!

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The Big Umbrella is a beautiful and reassuring picture book about friendship, inclusiveness, and shelter from the rain.

To locate this book in our library use the call number E BAT

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A warm, welcoming picture book that celebrates diversity and gives encouragement and support to all kids.

To locate this book in our library use the call number E Pen

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Strictly No Elephants, a book about a boy and his pet friend, a tiny elephant, explores issues regarding friendship and belonging.

To locate this book in our library use the call number E MAN

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Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor is a book that highlights the differences in kids and encourages them to ask questions when they see something that's different.

To locate this book in our library use the call number E SOT

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Supreme Court Justice and Children's book author of Turning Pages and Just Ask.

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Enjoy this read a-loud of Strictly No Elephants.

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Enjoy this rea a-loud of the The Big Umbrella.

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Read Aloud: The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates | Stories with Star

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Enjoy this read aloud of Just Ask.

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https://noveleffect.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Just-Ask-Activities.pdf

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Families and educators can help students explore community, inclusion, and individuality with Just Ask activities.

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Words Alive provides various tools that support and enrich books both in the classroom and at home.

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Sonia Sotomayor is our Person of the Month. Click here to find interesting facts about her childhood and time as a Supreme Court Justice.

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Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, Spanish: [ˈsonja sotomaˈʝoɾ]; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since August 8, 2009. She is the third woman, first woman of color, the first Hispanic, and first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.

Sotomayor was born in The Bronx, New York City, to Puerto Rican-born parents. Her father died when she was nine, and she was subsequently raised by her mother. Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1976 and received her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal. She worked as an assistant district attorney in New York for four and a half years before entering private practice in 1984. She played an active role on the boards of directors for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. Bush in 1991; confirmation followed in 1992. In 1997, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Her nomination was slowed by the Republican majority in the United States Senate, but she was eventually confirmed in 1998. On the Second Circuit, Sotomayor heard appeals in more than 3,000 cases and wrote about 380 opinions. Sotomayor has taught at the New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School.

In May 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor to the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice David Souter. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate in August 2009 by a vote of 68-31. While on the Court, Sotomayor has supported the informal liberal bloc of justices when they divide along the commonly perceived ideological lines. During her Supreme Court tenure, Sotomayor has been identified with concern for the rights of defendants and criminal justice reform, and is known for her impassioned dissents on issues of race, gender and ethnic identity, including Schuette v. BAMN, Utah v. Strieff, and Trump v. Hawaii.

Sotomayor was born in the New York City borough of The Bronx. Her father was Juan Sotomayor (c. 1921-1964), from the area of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and her mother was Celina Báez (1927-2021), an orphan from Santa Rosa in Lajas, a rural area on Puerto Rico's southwest coast.

The two left Puerto Rico separately, met, and married during World War II after Celina served in the Women's Army Corps. Juan Sotomayor had a third-grade education, did not speak English, and worked as a tool and die worker; Celina Baez worked as a telephone operator and then a practical nurse. Sonia's younger brother, Juan Sotomayor (born c. 1957), later became a physician and university professor in the Syracuse, New York, area.

Sotomayor was raised a Catholic and grew up in Puerto Rican communities in the South Bronx and East Bronx; she self-identifies as a "Nuyorican". The family lived in a South Bronx tenement before moving in 1957 to the well-maintained, racially and ethnically mixed, working-class Bronxdale Houses housing project in Soundview (which has over time been thought as part of both the East Bronx and South Bronx). In 2010, the Bronxdale Houses were renamed in her honor. Her relative proximity to Yankee Stadium led to her becoming a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees. The extended family got together frequently and regularly visited Puerto Rico during summers.

Sonia's mother was emotionally distant from her; she felt closest to her grandmother, who she later said gave her a source of "protection and purpose". Sonia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age seven, and began taking daily insulin injections. Her father died of heart problems at age 42, when she was nine years old. After this, she became fluent in English. Sotomayor has said that she was first inspired by the strong-willed Nancy Drew book character, and then after her diabetes diagnosis led doctors to suggest a different career from detective, she was inspired to go into a legal career and become a judge by watching the Perry Mason television series. She reflected in 1998: "I was going to college and I was going to become an attorney, and I knew that when I was ten. Ten. That's no jest."

Celina Sotomayor put great stress on the value of education; she bought the Encyclopædia Britannica for her children, something unusual in the housing projects. Despite the distance between the two, which became greater after her father's death and which was not fully reconciled until decades later, Sotomayor has credited her mother with being her "life inspiration". For grammar school, Sotomayor attended Blessed Sacrament School in Soundview, where she was valedictorian and had a near-perfect attendance record. Although underage, Sotomayor worked at a local retail store and a hospital. Sotomayor passed the entrance tests for and then attended Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. At Cardinal Spellman, Sotomayor was on the forensics team and was elected to the student government. She graduated as valedictorian in 1972. Meanwhile, the Bronxdale Houses had fallen victim to increasing crime. In 1970, the family found refuge by moving to Co-op City in the Northeast Bronx.

College and law school

Sotomayor attended Princeton University. She has said she was admitted in part due to her achievements in high school and in part because affirmative action made up for her standardized test scores, which she described as "not comparable to her colleagues at Princeton and Yale." She would later say that there are cultural biases built into such testing and praise affirmative action for fulfilling "its purpose: to create the conditions whereby students from disadvantaged backgrounds could be brought to the starting line of a race many were unaware was even being run."

Sotomayor described her time at Princeton as life-changing. Initially, she felt like "a visitor landing in an alien country" coming from the Bronx and Puerto Rico. Princeton had few women students and fewer Latinos (about 20). She was too intimidated to ask questions during her freshman year; her writing and vocabulary skills were weak, and she lacked knowledge in the classics. She put in long hours in the library and over summers, worked with a professor outside of class, and gained skills, knowledge, and confidence. She became a moderate student activist and co-chair of the Acción Puertorriqueña organization, which served as a social and political hub and sought more opportunities for Puerto Rican students. She worked in the admissions office, traveling to high schools and lobbying on behalf of her best prospects.

As a student activist, Sotomayor focused on faculty hiring and curriculum, since Princeton did not have a single full-time Latino professor nor any class on Latin American studies. A meeting with university president William G. Bowen in her sophomore year saw no results, leading to Sotomayor's saying in a New York Times story at the time that "Princeton is following a policy of benign neutrality and is not making substantive efforts to change." Acción Puertorriqueña filed a formal letter of complaint in April 1974 with the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, saying the school discriminated in its hiring and admission practices. Sotomayor wrote opinion pieces for the Daily Princetonian with the same theme. The university began to hire Latino faculty, and Sotomayor established an ongoing dialogue with Bowen. Sotomayor also successfully persuaded historian Peter Winn to create a seminar on Puerto Rican history and politics. Sotomayor joined the governance board of Princeton's Third World Center and served on the university's student-faculty Discipline Committee, which issued rulings on student infractions. She also ran an after-school program for local children and volunteered as an interpreter for Latino patients at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.

Academically, Sotomayor stumbled her first year at Princeton, but later received almost all A's in her final two years of college. Sotomayor wrote her senior thesis on Luis Muñoz Marín, the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, and on the territory's struggles for economic and political self-determination. The 178-page work, "La Historia Ciclica de Puerto Rico: The Impact of the Life of Luis Muñoz Marin on the Political and Economic History of Puerto Rico, 1930-1975", won honorable mention for the Latin American Studies Thesis Prize. As a senior, Sotomayor won the Pyne Prize, the top award for undergraduates, which reflected both strong grades and extracurricular activities. In 1976, she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in history. She was influenced by critical race theory, which would be reflected in her later speeches and writings.

On August 14, 1976, just after graduating from Princeton, Sotomayor married Kevin Edward Noonan, whom she had dated since high school, in a small chapel at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. She used the married name Sonia Sotomayor de Noonan. He became a biologist and a patent lawyer.

Sotomayor entered Yale Law School in the fall of 1976. While she believes she again benefited from affirmative action to compensate for relatively low standardized test scores, a former dean of admissions at Yale has said that given her record at Princeton, it probably had little effect. At Yale she fit in well although she found there were again few Latino students. She was known as a hard worker but she was not considered among the star students in her class. Yale General Counsel and professor José A. Cabranes acted as an early mentor to her to successfully transition and work within "the system". She became an editor of the Yale Law Journal and was also managing editor of the student-run Yale Studies in World Public Order publication (later known as the Yale Journal of International Law). Sotomayor published a law review note on the effect of possible Puerto Rican statehood on the island's mineral and ocean rights. She was a semi-finalist in the Barristers Union mock trial competition. She served as the co-chair of a group for Latin, Asian, and Native American students, and continued to advocate for the hiring of more Hispanic faculty.

Following her second year, she gained a job as a summer associate with the prominent New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. By her own later evaluation, her performance there was lacking. She did not receive an offer for a full-time position, an experience that she later described as a "kick in the teeth" and one that would bother her for years. In her third year, she filed a formal complaint against the established Washington, D.C., law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge for suggesting during a recruiting dinner that she was at Yale only via affirmative action. Sotomayor refused to be interviewed by the firm further and filed her complaint with a faculty-student tribunal, which ruled in her favor. Her action triggered a campus-wide debate, and news of the firm's subsequent December 1978 apology made The Washington Post.

In 1979, Sotomayor was awarded a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. She was admitted to the New York Bar the following year.

Early legal career

On the recommendation of Cabranes, Sotomayor was hired out of law school as an assistant district attorney under New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau starting in 1979. In the courtroom, she was effective at cross examination and at simplifying a case in ways to which a jury could relate. In general, she showed a passion for bringing law and order to the streets of New York. She worked 15-hour days and gained a reputation for being driven and for her preparedness and fairness. One of her job evaluations labelled her a "potential superstar". Morgenthau later described her as "smart, hard-working, [and having] a lot of common sense," and as a "fearless and effective prosecutor." She stayed a typical length of time in the post and had a common reaction to the job: "After a while, you forget there are decent, law-abiding people in life."

Sotomayor and Noonan divorced amicably in 1983; they did not have children. She has said that the pressures of her working life were a contributing factor, but not the major factor, in the breakup. From 1983 to 1986, Sotomayor had an informal solo practice, dubbed Sotomayor & Associates, located in her Brooklyn apartment. She performed legal consulting work, often for friends or family members.

In 1984, she entered private practice, joining the commercial litigation practice group of Pavia & Harcourt in Manhattan as an associate. One of 30 attorneys in the law firm, she specialized in intellectual property litigation, international law, and arbitration. She later said, "I wanted to complete myself as an attorney." Although she had no civil litigation experience, the firm recruited her heavily, and she learned quickly on the job. She was eager to try cases and argue in court, rather than be part of a larger law firm. Her clients were mostly international corporations doing business in the United States; much of her time was spent tracking down and suing counterfeiters of Fendi goods. In some cases, Sotomayor went on-site with the police to Harlem or Chinatown to have illegitimate merchandise seized, in the latter instance pursuing a fleeing culprit while riding on a motorcycle. The successful rounding up of thousands of counterfeit accessories in 1986 was celebrated by "Fendi Crush", a destruction-by-garbage-truck event at Tavern on the Green. At other times, she dealt with dry legal issues such as grain export contract disputes. In a 1986 appearance on Good Morning America that profiled women ten years after college graduation, she said that the bulk of law work was drudgery, and that while she was content with her life, she had expected greater things of herself coming out of college. In 1988 she became a partner at the firm; she was paid well but not extravagantly. She left in 1992 when she became a judge.

In addition to her law firm work, Sotomayor found visible public service roles. She was not connected to the party bosses that typically picked people for such jobs in New York, and indeed she was registered as an independent. Instead, District Attorney Morgenthau, an influential figure, served as her patron. In 1987, Governor of New York Mario Cuomo appointed Sotomayor to the board of the State of New York Mortgage Agency, which she served on until 1992. As part of one of the largest urban rebuilding efforts in American history, the agency helped low-income people get home mortgages and to provide insurance coverage for housing and hospices for sufferers of AIDS. Despite being the youngest member of a board composed of strong personalities, she involved herself in the details of the operation and was effective. She was vocal in supporting the right to affordable housing, directing more funds to lower-income home owners, and in her skepticism about the effects of gentrification, although in the end she voted in favor of most of the projects.

Sotomayor was appointed by Mayor Ed Koch in 1988 as one of the founding members of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, where she served for four years. There she took a vigorous role in the board's implementation of a voluntary scheme wherein local candidates received public matching funds in exchange for limits on contributions and spending and agreeing to greater financial disclosure. Sotomayor showed no patience with candidates who failed to follow regulations and was more of a stickler for making campaigns follow those regulations than some of the other board members. She joined in rulings that fined, audited, or reprimanded the mayoral campaigns of Koch, David Dinkins, and Rudy Giuliani.

Based upon another recommendation from Cabranes, Sotomayor was a member of the board of directors of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1980 to 1992. There she was a top policy maker who worked actively with the organization's lawyers on issues such as New York City hiring practices, police brutality, the death penalty, and voting rights. The group achieved its most visible triumph when it successfully blocked a city primary election on the grounds that New York City Council boundaries diminished the power of minority voters.

During 1985 and 1986, Sotomayor served on the board of the Maternity Center Association, a Manhattan-based non-profit group which focused on improving the quality of maternity care.

Federal district judge

Sotomayor had wanted to become a judge since she was in elementary school, and in 1991 she was recommended for a spot by Democratic New York senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Moynihan had an unusual bipartisan arrangement with his fellow New York senator, Republican Al D'Amato, whereby he would get to choose roughly one out of every four New York district court seats even though a Republican was in the White House. Moynihan also wanted to fulfill a public promise he had made to get a Hispanic judge appointed for New York. When Moynihan's staff recommended her to him, they said "Have we got a judge for you!" Moynihan identified with her socio-economic and academic background and became convinced she would become the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice. D'Amato became an enthusiastic backer of Sotomayor, who was seen as politically centrist at the time. Of the impending drop in salary from private practice, Sotomayor said: "I've never wanted to get adjusted to my income because I knew I wanted to go back to public service. And in comparison to what my mother earns and how I was raised, it's not modest at all."

Sotomayor was thus nominated on November 27, 1991, by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by John M. Walker Jr. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, led by a friendly Democratic majority, went smoothly for her in June 1992, with her pro bono activities winning praise from Senator Ted Kennedy and her getting unanimous approval from the committee. Then a Republican senator blocked her nomination and that of three others for a while in retaliation for an unrelated block Democrats had put on another nominee. D'Amato objected strongly; some weeks later, the block was dropped, and Sotomayor was confirmed by unanimous consent of the full United States Senate on August 11, 1992, and received her commission the next day.

Sotomayor became the youngest judge in the Southern District and the first Hispanic federal judge in New York State. She became the first Puerto Rican woman to serve as a judge in a U.S. federal court. She was one of seven women among the district's 58 judges. She moved from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, back to the Bronx in order to live within her district.

Court of Appeals judge

On June 25, 1997, Sotomayor was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which was vacated by J. Daniel Mahoney.

Over her ten years on the Second Circuit, Sotomayor heard appeals in more than 3,000 cases and wrote about 380 opinions when she was in the majority. The Supreme Court reviewed five of those, reversing three and affirming two-not high numbers for an appellate judge of that many years and a typical percentage of reversals.

In 2005, Senate Democrats suggested Sotomayor, among others, to President George W. Bush as an acceptable nominee to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Supreme Court justice

Main page: Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination

Following Barack Obama's 2008 presidential election victory, speculation arose that Sotomayor could be a leading candidate for a Supreme Court seat. On May 26, 2009, Obama nominated her. She became only the second jurist to be nominated to three different judicial positions by three different presidents.

On July 28, 2009, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 in favor of Sotomayor's nomination, sending it to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote. Every Democrat voted in her favor, as did one Republican, Lindsey Graham. On August 6, 2009, Sotomayor was confirmed by the full Senate by a vote of 68-31. All Democrats present, along with the Senate's two Independents plus nine Republicans, voted for her.

President Obama commissioned Sotomayor on the day of her confirmation, and her swearing-in ceremony took place on August 8, 2009, at the Supreme Court Building. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court, and is one of six women who have served on the Court, along with Sandra Day O'Connor (from 1981 to 2006), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (from 1993 to 2020), Elena Kagan (since 2010), Amy Coney Barrett (since 2020), and Ketanji Brown Jackson (since 2022). Sotomayor's appointment gave the Court a record six Roman Catholic justices serving at the same time.

On January 20 and 21, 2013, Sotomayor administered the oath to Vice President Joe Biden for the inauguration of his second term. Sotomayor became the first Hispanic and fourth woman to administer the oath to a president or vice president. On January 20, 2021, Sotomayor administered the oath of office to Kamala Harris for her inauguration as vice president, the first woman to ever hold the office.

By the end of her fifth year on the Court, Sotomayor had become especially visible in oral arguments and in passionate dissents from various majority rulings, especially those involving issues of race, gender and ethnic identity.

During her tenure on the Court, Sotomayor has also become recognizable as being among the Court's strongest voices in supporting the rights of the accused. She has been identified by Laurence Tribe as the foremost voice on the Court calling for reforming criminal justice adjudication-in particular as it relates misconduct by police and prosecutors, abuses in prisons, concerns about how the death penalty is used, and the potential for loss of privacy-and Tribe has compared her will to reform in general to that of past Chief Justice Earl Warren.

Other activities

Sotomayor was an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law from 1998 to 2007. There she taught trial and appellate advocacy as well as a federal appellate court seminar. Beginning in 1999, she was also a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School in a paying, adjunct faculty position. While there she created and co-taught a class called the Federal Appellate Externship each semester from 2000 until her departure; it combined classroom, moot court, and Second Circuit chambers work. She became a member of the Board of Trustees of Princeton University in 2006, concluding her term in 2011. In 2008, Sotomayor became a member of the Belizean Grove, an invitation-only women's group modeled after the men's Bohemian Grove. On June 19, 2009, Sotomayor resigned from the Belizean Grove after Republican politicians voiced concerns over the group's membership policy.

Sotomayor has maintained a public presence, mostly through making speeches, since joining the federal judiciary and throughout her time on the Supreme Court. She gave over 180 speeches between 1993 and 2009, about half of which either focused on issues of ethnicity or gender or were delivered to minority or women's groups. While on the Supreme Court she has been invited to give commencement addresses at a number of universities including New York University (2012), Yale University (2013), and the University of Puerto Rico (2014). Her speeches have tended to give a more defined picture of her worldview than her rulings on the bench. The themes of her speeches have often focused on ethnic identity and experience, the need for diversity, and America's struggle with the implications of its diverse makeup. She has also presented her career achievements as an example of the success of affirmative action policies in university admissions, saying "I am the perfect affirmative action baby" in regard to her belief that her admission test scores were not comparable to those of her classmates. During 2012 while already on the Supreme Court, Sotomayor made two appearances as herself on the children's television program Sesame Street, explaining what a vocational career is in general and then demonstrating how a judge hears a case.

In July 2010, Sotomayor signed a contract with Alfred A. Knopf to publish a memoir about the early part of her life. She received an advance of nearly $1.2 million for the work, which was published in January 2013 and titled My Beloved World ( Mi mundo adorado in the simultaneously published Spanish edition). It focuses on her life up to 1992, with recollections of growing up in housing projects in New York and descriptions of the challenges she faced. It received good reviews, with Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times describing it as "a compelling and powerfully written memoir about identity and coming of age. ... It's an eloquent and affecting testament to the triumph of brains and hard work over circumstance, of a childhood dream realized through extraordinary will and dedication." She staged a book tour to promote the work, and it debuted atop the New York Times Best Seller List.

In January 2021, Sonia Sotomayor swore in Kamala Harris as the Vice President of the United States. It was considered historic as Sotomayor is the first Woman of Color to serve on the Supreme Court and Harris is the first Woman, African-American, and Asian American Vice President.

Awards and honors

Sotomayor has received honorary law degrees from Lehman College (1999), Princeton University (2001), Brooklyn Law School (2001), Pace University School of Law (2003), Hofstra University (2006), Northeastern University School of Law (2007), Howard University (2010), St. Lawrence University (2010), Paris Nanterre University (2010), New York University (2012), Yale University (2013), and the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras (2014).

She was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 2002. She was given the Outstanding Latino Professional Award in 2006 by the Latino/a Law Students Association. In 2008, Esquire magazine included Sotomayor on its list of "The 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century". In 2013, Sotomayor won the Woodrow Wilson Award at her alma mater Princeton University.

In June 2010, the Bronxdale Houses development, where Sotomayor grew up, was renamed after her. The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses and Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community Center comprise 28 buildings with some 3,500 residents. While many New York housing developments are named after well-known people, this was only the second to be named after a former resident. In 2011, the Sonia M. Sotomayor Learning Academies, a public high school complex in Los Angeles, was named after her.

In 2013, a painting featuring her, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan was unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

In May 2015 she received the Katharine Hepburn medal from Bryn Mawr College.

In 2019, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

In Spanish: Sonia Sotomayor para niños

Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates

Demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States

History of women in Puerto Rico

List of Puerto Ricans

List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States

List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 3)

List of Roman Catholic United States Supreme Court justices

List of United States Supreme Court justices by time in office

Nuyorican

Puerto Ricans in the United States

Images for kids

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Enjoy this read-aloud of All Are Welcome.

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All Are Welcome - Read Aloud Picture Book | Brightly Storytime

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Learning to Give provides resources to support and enhance the book All Are Welcome.

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School is a community where diversity is celebrated and people of all backgrounds, abilities, and appearances are welcome. This book is a rhythmic colorful tour of the first day of school and all of the activities taking place. The pages are filled with diversity of all types, warmth, and an inclusive "all are welcome here" mantra. One page has the text that is the theme of the book, "We're part of a community. Our strength is our diversity."
Literature Guide by Lisa Sandor

Before Reading

Ask: On the first day at a new school or group gathering, have you ever worried that other children may not welcome you or want to be your friend? Many children all over the world feel that way. What can you do to make others feel welcome?

Show: Look at the children and activities on cover of the book. Talk about the similarities and differences you see.

Connect: Let us read this book together and see if we can find a child in the pages that looks just like you or who is doing something you like to do.

During Reading

Ask: How do you think your friends are like you and different from you? How do you show kindness to people who are different from you? What are some kind things you do for each other? Why is it important to be kind?

Show: Look at all of the children and parents saying hello and goodbye. Talk about how each home is different. Everyone practices different routines, faiths, eating habits, and ways of getting to school. Families have different hair, skin, and eye color and come from places from all around the world. As we read the book, look carefully at the interesting kids and activities, and talk about the many differences you see. Think about why the differences make each person interesting and the school community stronger.

Connect: How do you get to and from school? Have you ever ridden on a bus? How about a taxi? Do you walk to school alone or with your family?

After Reading

Ask: Would you like to attend this classroom? What makes people feel welcome here? What did you learn that you would like to try in your school or group?

Show: Point out some things children doing in the pictures that tells you they are being kind to one another.

Connect: You might hear people say that someone different is weird. Why do you think they might say that? Is different weird? What do you think are the good things about getting to know people who are different from us?

Activities

1. Draw a picture of a group of people you meet with. That might be a classroom, sports group, faith group, or other interest area. Show the differences of looks, colors, activities, and actions of the people in your group. Show how your community is stronger because of all the differences and kindnesses that make people feel welcome.

2. Create a Poster that reads, "All Are Welcome Here." Be creative with images that show warmth and interest in people's uniqueness.

3. Make a list of all the places that you go where you feel welcome. What are some ways you can make someone else feel welcome there. Write a list of five kind things you can do and make a plan to do them.

4. Say something when you see someone feeling sad or unwelcomed. Speak up to let the child know you care. Tell them they are important and that they are welcome to play with you. Be kind.

5. Draw your family doing something you do that you think other families don't do. Maybe you have a routine, holiday tradition, or good-bye habit that you always do.

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School is a community where diversity is celebrated and people of all backgrounds, abilities, and appearances are welcome. This book is a rhythmic colorful tour of the first day of school and all of the activities taking place. The pages are f

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In TURNING PAGES: MY LIFE STORY, Sotomayor tells the story of growing up in a Spanish-speaking family in the Bronx, where she struggled to learn English. As a child, she was diagnosed with diabetes, and lost her father.

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Turning Pages: My Life Story (Literally Cultured Read Aloud)

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Log in the school catalog with your Google account. Search our library for great times as well as place holds on your favorite books.

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Welcome to Berkeley Heights Public Schools

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Log in with your district account to access Novelist K-12.

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Sign in to EBSCO Research Services to gain access to your library or organization’s subscription of EBSCOhost Databases, Discovery Service and Explora.

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Check out the Berkeley Height Public Library website for books, events and other interesting information.

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Berkeley Heights Public Library – Engage, Connect and Discover

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Story time with Grandma Pauline for ages 3 - 5.

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Embracing Differences in the Classroom Episode

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Embracing Differences in the Classroom Episode

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This podcast explores the importance of embracing every student's uniqueness and what they bring to the classroom.

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children kids podcast ios apps education science discovery sharing

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Smalltalk.fm: Embracing Differences in the Classrooms by Culture Kids Podcast

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In this episode, we explore the importance of embracing differences in the classroom, with a particular focus on neurodiversity and multilingual communication among children. We dive into the idea tha

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Learn a favorite affirmation, sing a line from a Like You song, or share whatever you feel with this spooky episode!

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Creepy Crawly Mindfulness (from Like You: Mindfulness for Kids): It's spooky season, so on this episode we’ll see what we can learn about mindfulness from creepy crawly creatures like snakes, spiders, and bugs. 🐍🕷️🪲
Find full episode notes and transcript here.
Like You is listener supported. You can support the show by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or becoming a patron on Patreon. You can also support the show by shopping in our online store or purchasing songs from the show on our Bandcamp page.
Please send us a voice memo, drawing, or letter at hello@likeyoupodcast.com. We play a voice memos from listeners either at the beginning of an episode or during the affirmation segment of the episode. If your child wants to be included, record a voice memo and send it to us. Your child can introduce themself and then say a favorite affirmation, sing a line from a Like You song, say what they like about the show, or share whatever they feel! Keep it short (10-20 seconds). For more info on how to record and send a voice memo, see this post, or click here.
Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. The show is written and produced by Noah Glenn. The show’s artwork was illustrated by Mia Saine. Episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn.
This episode features original music by Noah Glenn. Find us here: Website Patreon Instagram Facebook Twitter Apple Podcasts Spotify Bandcamp Online Shop

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Britannica School- school log in required- search various topics

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Britannica School- school log in required- search various topics

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Use the district log to to explore this site and discovery other ways to be inclusive.

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Welcome to Britannica School, a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Find amazing facts about animals, science, history and geography, along with fun competitions, games and more. Visit National Geographic Kids today!

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Kiddle is a visual search engine for kids, offering safe kids web, image, and video search. Results are vetted by editors.

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Kiddle is a safe search engine, offering a safe web, image, and video search. Results are vetted by editors.

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Search Small Talk podcast for episodes on some of your favorite topics.

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children kids podcast ios apps education science discovery sharing

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Smalltalk.fm helps you discover, listen to, and share great podcasts for kids

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Find the best kids books, learning resources, and educational solutions at Scholastic, promoting literacy development for over 100 years.

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There's nothing more powerful than a story to connect us, to help us understand each other, and to build empathy. In sharing these books with young people, you will be giving them the opportunity to see that everyone's story deserves to be told, to be shared, and to be understood.

The Power of Story is a Scholastic initiative aimed at building more equitable bookshelves in your classroom. Featuring characters and stories across a diverse range of identities, cultures, traditions, and lived experiences, these books will help students build relationships and connections with themselves and others. From The Storyteller which shares the journey of an anxious Cherokee boy Ziggy whose mother has gone missing to Parachute Kids a tale of 3 kids living on their own as undocumented immigrants, there are so many stories to deeply inspire your readers young and old.

Find out more about the Power of Story catalog. Plus, discover more diverse books for grades PreK - 3 and inclusive titles to inspire young adults.

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The Power of Story: Diverse Books for Grades 3-7 | Scholastic

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Books that tell the stories of historically underrepresented groups specifically related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religion, and culture.

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Poetry is a wonderful way to use "windows and mirrors" when teaching inclusivity. Check out some of these recommendations from Rebekah Gienapp.

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Words Alive provides various tools that support and enrich books both in the classroom and at home.

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This lesson plan offers resources for the story All the Way to the Top.

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Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

1. What does it mean to feel welcome?

2. What are some ways you can welcome students to your classroom, school, and community?

3. What is one thing you can do every day to be welcoming?

4. Have you ever felt like you weren’t included in something? How did that make you feel?

5. Tell about a time when you saw someone being welcoming to someone else.

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How to Teach This Book

Start the school year off right when you welcome students and families with books and reading fun! When you share All Are Welcome, you deliver the important message that school is the place where every child is welcome. Follow the example in this book and host a community-building, back-to-school event that opens opportunities for talking about diversity, how we can learn from each other, and how we can have fun together even if we are different. Include a reading aloud of All Are Welcome at a back-to-school potluck picnic along with:

students and parents making welcome banners to decorate your school

a photo booth with props that say "welcome" in all the major languages spoken in your community

an opportunity for families to sign up for a public library card.

Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing

1. What does it mean to feel welcome?

2. What are some ways you can welcome students to your classroom, school, and community?

3. What is one thing you can do every day to be welcoming?

4. Have you ever felt like you weren't included in something? How did that make you feel?

5. Tell about a time when you saw someone being welcoming to someone else.

Additional Resources for Teaching About Diversity and Acceptance

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Start the school year off right when you welcome students and families with books and reading fun! When you share All Are Welcome, you deliver the important message that school is the place where every child is welcome.

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Puffin Schools provides wonderful resource to use both in the classroom and at home.

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Add a sticky note to the Jamboard to discuss your feelings about not being included. Also, add ways you can include others.

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Add a stick note to the Jamboard about what makes you unique.

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Just Ask Book Conversation - Google Jamboard

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Use your district-provided log-in to learn more about diabetes and make connections to Sonia Sotomayor.

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Welcome to Britannica School , a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

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Books About Diversity and Culture for Children (Nonfiction) by DBRL_KIDS - a staff-created list.

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Books About Diversity and Culture for Children (Nonfiction) - Daniel Boone Regional Library

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Books About Diversity and Culture for Children (Nonfiction) by DBRL_KIDS - a staff-created list

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Read and Find Information with These Free Online Almanacs, Including Celebrity Almanacs, Daily Almanacs, the Guinness World Record Almanac, Kids' Almanacs.

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Brainy History: Historic Events and birth dates that occurred on a selected day of the year; select the month and day

Daily Almanac: Facts about everything - SEARCHABLE by month and day

Fact Monster: Almanac: Find answers in an almanac, dictionary or encyclopedia - SEARCHABLE by keyword

Guinness World Records: The most reliable of Complete Guinness Books References on the Web

The Old Farmer's Almanac: Today in History, Today in Weather History, Advice of the Day, Quotation of the Day; The home page can be personalized so that when you visit the site again, you can receive the weather for your city

Kidinfo.com's Almanac Resource Page includes the best available Online Almanacs, Including Celebrity Almanacs, Daily Almanacs, the Guinness World Record Almanac, Kids' Almanacs, Old Farmer's Almanac, Today in History Almanac, and the World Almanacs

Disclaimer and Terms of Use - Privacy Policy

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Read Online Almanacs, Including Celebrity Almanacs, Daily Almanacs, the Guinness World Record Almanac, Kids' Almanacs, Old Farmer's Almanac, Today in History Almanac, and the World Almanacs

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Learn about how laws are put into place and what you can do to help get your voice heard.

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A capital is a city that is home to a government. A capitol is a building where the legislature meets. For the capital of the United States, see Washington, D.C.

The United States Capitol is the building where the United States Congress meets. It is the center of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is in Washington, D.C., on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall.

The capitol has a large dome in the center, above a rotunda-a large space that is shaped like a circle. There are two wings that are connected to the rotunda on opposite sides. The north wing is where the Senate meets and the south wing is where the House of Representatives meets. These wings are also called chambers. On the top floors of the chambers are galleries, or balconies where people can watch the Senate and House of Representatives from above.

The Statue of Freedom is on top of the capitol.

The first capital city of the United States was New York City. At this time, Congress met in City Hall ( Federal Hall) from 1785 to 1790. When the capital was moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1790 to 1800, the Philadelphia County Building ( Congress Hall) became the capitol. In 1800, the capital moved again to Washington, D.C., and a new capitol building was built.

The capitol was designed by William Thornton. Construction started in 1793, but it was not completely finished until almost twenty years later. The Senate started to meet in the capitol in 1800, when the Senate wing was finished. The House started to meet in the capitol in 1807, even though the House wing was not finished until 1811.

At that time, it was not as big as it is now. The dome in the center of the building was smaller and made of wood. In 1814, the capitol was set on fire by the British Army during the War of 1812. In the 1850s and 1860s, the capitol was fully repaired, and the wooden dome was replaced with a larger iron dome. The walls of the Senate wing were painted with many murals about events in American History. Inside the rotunda, a large fresco was also painted on the ceiling during the repair.

The Supreme Court also met in the Capitol until its own building was completed in 1935.

The Capitol Dome is 8,909,200 pounds (4,009 tonnes) of cast-iron with 108 windows, and was constructed between 1855 and 1866.

On January 6, 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed into the capitol. This caused a lockdown in the building.

Images for kids

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A capital is a city that is home to a government. A capitol is a building where the legislature meets. For the capital of the United States, see Washington, D.C. The United States Capitol is the building where the United States Congress meets. It is the center of the legislative branch of the U.S.

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Add a sticky note to the Jamboard about a time someone showed you kindness.

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Weebly offers opened-ended questions to continue that conversation about the book Wonder.

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This Brainpop is packed with fun activites to help you learn more about Sonia Sotomayor.

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Use a sticky note to share a book title that relates to the inclusion precept.

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Teacher Book Recommendations - Google Jamboard