In the face of this administration’s ICE raids around the country and the federal military response in Los Angeles, we share our booklists on Immigration, Organizing and Activism, and Policing.

Immigration: https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/immigration/

Organizing and Activism: https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/organizing/

Policing: https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/policing/

“This book, the young readers’ version of Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s Never Caught — a 2017 National Book Award finalist in nonfiction — is a welcome, compelling corrective to the whitewashed version of Revolutionary-era history. . . a story in which the Anglo men were heroes, the black people were nameless, and slavery was simply, unquestionably, The Way Things Were.” – Anndee Hochman, Broadstreetreview.com

Born into slavery, Ona Judge made a courageous (and dangerous) escape from the most powerful couple in the country, George and Martha Washington, on May 21, 1796. This is her bold and brave story.

This May Day, we recommend ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A.

Carlitos’ mother is a janitor. Every night while he sleeps, his mother cleans in one of the skyscrapers in downtown L.A. One night, his mamá explains that she can’t make enough money to support him and his abuelita the way she needs to unless she makes more money as a janitor. She and the other janitors have decided to go on strike. Will he support her and help her all he can?

Of course, Carlitos wants to help but he cannot think of a way until he sees his mother on TV making a speech in support of the strike. Finally, Carlitos knows how he can show his mamá how proud he is of her. He and the other children in his class make posters and Carlitos joins the marchers with a very special sign for his mom! [Publisher’s description.]

Order a copy from an independent book store at https://bookshop.org/a/7256/9780938317890

With Juneteenth a national holiday, we share our Reconstruction booklist to introduce young people to the Emancipation Era. Angela Johnson and E. B. Lewis’ All Different Now and Carole Boston Weatherford and Yvonne Buchanan’s Juneteenth Jamboree bookend the past and the present, sharing history and showcasing community celebration.

May is Haitian Heritage Month. Find our full list of recommend books at the link in our bio.

Find ideas for teaching about Haiti at @teach_change: https://www.teachingforchange.org/teaching-about-haiti-3

A stunning visual homage to Black bookstores, featuring a selection of shops around the country alongside essays that celebrate the history, community, activism, and culture these spaces embody, with an original foreword by Nikki Giovanni.

Black literature is perhaps the most powerful, polarizing force in the modern American zeitgeist. Today—as Black novels draw authoritarian ire, as Black memoirs shape public debates, as Black polemics inspire protest petitions—it’s more important than ever to highlight the places that center these stories: Black bookstores.

Traversing teeming metropolises and tiny towns, Prose to the People explores these spaces, chronicling these Black bookstore’s past and present lives. Combining narrative prose, eye-catching photography, one-on-one interviews, original essays, and specially curated poetry, Prose to the People is a reader’s road trip companion to the world of Black books.

Thoughtfully curated by writer and Black bookstore owner Katie Mitchell, Prose to the People is a must-have addition to the shelves of anyone who loves book culture and Black history. This dynamic book centers profiles of over fifty Black bookstores from the Northeast to the mid-Atlantic, the South, and the West Coast, complete with stunning original and archival photography.

Interspersed throughout are essays, poems, and interviews by New York Times bestsellers Kiese Laymon, Rio Cortez, Pearl Cleage, and many more journalists, activists, authors, academics, and poets that offer deeper perspectives on these bookstores’ role throughout the diaspora. Complete with a foreword by world-renowned poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, Prose to the People is a beautiful tribute to these vital pillars of the Black community. [Publisher description]

Order a copy from an independent bookstore today at https://bookshop.org/a/7256/9780593581346

A stunning visual homage to Black bookstores, featuring a selection of shops around the country alongside essays that celebrate the history, community, activism, and culture these spaces embody, with an original foreword by Nikki Giovanni.

Black literature is perhaps the most powerful, polarizing force in the modern American zeitgeist. Today—as Black novels draw authoritarian ire, as Black memoirs shape public debates, as Black polemics inspire protest petitions—it’s more important than ever to highlight the places that center these stories: Black bookstores.

Traversing teeming metropolises and tiny towns, Prose to the People explores a these spaces, chronicling these Black bookstore’s past and present lives. Combining narrative prose, eye-catching photography, one-on-one interviews, original essays, and specially curated poetry, Prose to the People is a reader’s road trip companion to the world of Black books.

Thoughtfully curated by writer and Black bookstore owner Katie Mitchell, Prose to the People is a must-have addition to the shelves of anyone who loves book culture and Black history. Though not a definitive guide, this dynamic book centers profiles of over fifty Black bookstores from the Northeast to the mid-Atlantic, the South, and the West Coast, complete with stunning original and archival photography.

Interspersed throughout are essays, poems, and interviews by New York Times bestsellers Kiese Laymon, Rio Cortez, Pearl Cleage, and many more journalists, activists, authors, academics, and poets that offer deeper perspectives on these bookstores’ role throughout the diaspora. Complete with a foreword by world-renowned poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, Prose to the People is a beautiful tribute to these vital pillars of the Black community. [Publisher description]

Order a copy from an independent bookstore today at https://bookshop.org/a/7256/9780593581346

Lift our voices. Defend the right to read.

This #Juneteenth, join the Read Strong America movement — a powerful conversation to denounce censorship, promote literacy and literature, uplift librarians, and spark community action.

June 19th - Host or attend a watch party this Juneteenth and keep the conversation going all summer long.

June 21st – Watch the Virtual Author Read-In featuring some of your favorite children’s book authors, 12-2:00 pm EST. 

Details for both events at ReadStrongAmerica.org. 

#FreedomToRead #ReadStrongAmerica #BannedBooks #Juneteenth2025 #WeThePeople #FightBack #FreedomToLearn #FREADOM #TeachTruth

One of the most violent episodes of dispossession in 20th century U.S. history began on May 31, 1921 in Greenwood, a thriving Black neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

From May 31 through June 1, deputized whites killed more than 300 African Americans. They looted and burned to the ground 40 square blocks of 1,265 Black homes, including hospitals, schools, and churches, and destroyed 150 businesses. White deputies and members of the National Guard arrested and detained 6,000 Black Tulsans who were released only upon being vouched for by a white employer or other white citizen. Nine thousand African Americans were left homeless and lived in tents well into the winter of 1921.

This assault was met by a brave but unsuccessful armed defense of their community by some Black World War I veterans and others.

Introduce young readers to this critical history with:
- Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre written by Carole Boston Weatherford (@caroleweatherford) and illustrated by Floyd Cooper (@floyd.cooper.4)
- Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre written by Brandy Colbert (@brandycolbert)
- Angel of Greenwood written by Randi Pink (@randi_pink)
- The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 written by Tim Madigan and adapted by Hilary Beard (@hilarybeard)
- Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre written by Alverne Ball (@alverneball) and illustrated by Stacey Robinson (@staceyarobinson)
- Opal’s Greenwood Oasis written by Quraysh Ali Lansana and Najah-Amatullah Hylton and illustrated by Skip Hill (@skiphillart)

Our “Jewish Identity and History” list includes stories of cultural traditions, people of note, and collective resistance to oppression. Find the full list at the link in our bio.

This NEW booklist invites young readers on a global, culinary adventure while fostering a deeper understanding of cultures. These books tend to incorporate three themes: learning about one’s heritage, appreciating food of one’s own culture and others’, and recognizing the role of shared meals in community building and organizing. By exploring food traditions, children can learn about the skills required to prepare particular dishes; challenge stereotypes; understand how food traditions are shaped by geography, creativity, and economics; and appreciate the diversity of recipes from around the world.

These carefully selected books offer a delicious opportunity for teachers and parents to ignite conversations about culture, heritage, and the socio-geographic-economic origins of food traditions.

Introduce the origins of Memorial Day to young readers with the picture book A DAY FOR REMEMBERIN’.

Today is a special day. Eli knows it’s important if he’s allowed to miss one second of school, his “hard-earned right.”

Inspired by true events and told through the eyes of a young boy, this is the deeply moving story about what is regarded as the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865. Eli dresses up in his best clothes, Mama gathers the mayflowers, Papa straightens his hat, and together they join the crowds filling the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, with bouquets, crosses, and wreaths. Abolitionists, missionaries, teachers, military officers, and a sea of faces Black, Brown, and White, they march as one and sing for all those who gave their lives fighting for freedom during the Civil War. [Publisher description]

For Black Maternal Health Week (April 11th - 17th), we recommend "The Women Who Caught the Babies: A Story of African American Midwives" by Eloise Greenfield.

This unique picture book begins with historic background on the work of midwives, written in prose that is accessible to young readers and accompanied by archival photographs. The book then switches to poetry and stunningly beautiful illustrations — with vignettes from lives of midwives during slavery, emancipation, and today.

Greenfield closes with a poem about the midwife who “caught” her when she was born, Miss Rovenia Mayo of Parmele, North Carolina. [Description from @RethinkingSchools.]