Antiracism Resources

The library recognizes that racism has no place in our society, and works to provide resources and information that promote antiracism, diversity, social justice, and empathy for all members of the community. The list of resources below, compiled by our librarians, may be helpful to patrons interested in learning about the history of racism in America and ways to work to create a more just society.

Resources for Adults

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Overdrive)
The Bluest Eye, a novel by Toni Morrison (Overdrive)
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (Overdrive)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (Overdrive)
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (Hoopla)
Pushout by Monique W. Morris (Hoopla)
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (Overdrive)
Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (Overdrive)
The Underground Railroad, a novel by Colson Whitehead (Overdrive)
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Overdrive)
Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel by Zora Neale Hurston (Hoopla)
This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins (Overdrive)
What Truth Sounds Like by Michael Eric Dyson (Overdrive)

Resources for Parents

Anti-bias Education For Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman-Sparks & Julie Olsen Edwards
The Happy Kid Handbook: How to Raise Joyful Children in a Stressful World by Katie Hurley (Hoopla)
How to Raise Kind Kids: and Get Respect, Gratitude and a Happier Family in the Bargain by Thomas Lickona (Overdrive)
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (Overdrive)
The Kindness Advantage: Cultivating Compassionate and Connected Children by Dale Atkins and Amanda Salzhauer (Overdrive)
Motherhood, So White: a Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by Nefertiti Austin (Overdrive)
Simple Acts: the Busy Family’s Guide to Giving Back by Natalie Silverstein
Teaching and learning in a diverse world : multicultural education for young children by Patricia G. Ramsey
Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All About Me World by Michele Borba Ed.D (Overdrive)
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Resources for Preschool and Young School Age Children

Come With Me by Holly M. McGhee [Ages 5-8] (Overdrive)
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson [Ages 4-8] (Overdrive)
Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel [Ages 4-8] (Overdrive)
Just ask! Be different be brave, be you by Sonia Sotomayor [Ages 4-8] Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña [Ages 3-5] (Overdrive)
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester [Ages 4-8] Peace Is an Offering by Annette LeBox [Ages 3-5] (Overdrive)
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni [Ages 4-8] The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler[Ages 4-8] The Skin I’m In: A First Look at Racism by Pat Thomas [4-7] When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson [Ages 4-8] (Overdrive)

Resources for Older School Age Children

Can I touch your hair? : poems of race, mistakes, and friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters [Ages 9-13] (Overdrive)
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson [Ages 8-12] (Overdrive)
Front Desk by Kelly Yang [Ages 8-12] (Overdrive)
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney [Ages 6-9] Not my idea : a book about whiteness by Anastasia Higgenbotham [Ages 8-12] Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Johnson
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh [Ages 6-9] (Overdrive)
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney [Ages 7-10] We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson [Ages 8-12] (Overdrive)
The Whispering Town by Jennifer Elvgren [Ages 7-11] (Overdrive)

Resources for Teens and Young Adults

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater (Overdrive)
Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Overdrive)
Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Every Vote Matters: The Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court by Thomas A. Jacobs and Natalie Jacobs
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (Overdrive)
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (Overdrive)
Girls Resist! A Guide to Activism, Leadership & Starting a Revolution by KaeLyn Rich (Overdrive)
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (Overdrive)
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Overdrive)
Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America edited by Amy Reed
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Overdrive)
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds (Overdrive)
The Trouble With Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante (Overdrive)
This Side of Home by Renée Watson (Overdrive)
Turning 15 On the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, as told to Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley (Overdrive)
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed (Overdrive)

Web resources and Media for Adults and Teens

Brookhaven NAACP
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
The leading source of authoritative research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans, CIRCLE works nationally with youth-serving organizations to help them understand and assess the impact of their programming, as well as make the case for policy and infrastructure that supports youth engagement.

Erase Racism
A regional organization that leads public policy advocacy campaigns and related initiatives to promote racial equity in areas such as housing, public school education, and community development. We engage in a variety of research, education and consulting activities to address institutional and structural racism.

Generation Nation
Students learn first-hand how their governments and communities work; understand important civic issues and differing points of view; know how to find and use good sources of news and information; build social capital and experience for civic problem-solving and leadership; and, join a diverse network of civic leaders who are working to transform their schools, neighborhoods, communities and world for the better…now and for the future.

Racial Equity Tools
Racial Equity Tools is designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. This site offers tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level – in systems, organizations, communities and the culture at large.

Rock the Vote
The mission of Rock the Vote is to engage and build the political power of young people and is dedicated to increasing youth voter turnout in the United States.

Youth Activism Project
Teens can participate and learn about activism, including critical advocacy and leadership skills.

Web resources for Parents

How Kids Learn About Race | EmbraceRace
On this episode of Talking Race & Kids, they take a close look at the childhood landscape of racial learning.

How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books That Can Help
Rhuday-Perkovich et al.
Here are resources and books to help us have those hard conversations with the young people in our lives.

We Need Diverse Books
A grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism
There’s no question: talking about race can be sensitive, and yes, even a bit messy.

How do I talk to my kids about race and racism?
There’s no question: talking about race can be sensitive, and yes, even a bit messy.