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Winner of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award!
In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother--whose face bears traditional tribal markings--to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for back to school!
Recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2019
A young slave girl witnesses the heartbreak and hopefulness of her family and their plantation community when her brother escapes for freedom in this brilliantly conceived picture book by Coretta Scott King Award winner James E. Ransome.
From the award-winning duo behind the bestselling Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt comes the stunning, richly illustrated sequel about a young enslaved girl who follows a quilt’s message to freedom.
Discover the true story of how environmentalist Farmer Tantoh is transforming the landscape in his home country of Cameroon.
When Tantoh Nforba was a child, his fellow students mocked him for his interest in gardening. Today he's an environmental hero, bringing clean water and bountiful gardens to the central African nation of Cameroon. Authors Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul share Farmer Tantoh's inspiring story.
"Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom" is Teresa's debut picture book. It won numerous awards, among them the 2020 APALA Winner in the Picture Book category, the ILA Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards Honor, and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book.
Set against the backdrop of Karachi, Pakistan, Saadia Faruqi’s middle grade novel tells the story of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval.
Efrén Nava’s Amá is his Superwoman—or Soperwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes his mother often prepares. Both Amá and Apá work hard all day to provide for the family, making sure Efrén and his younger siblings Max and Mía feel safe and loved.
Running. That's all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to a race—and wins—the Olympic medalist track coach sees he has something: crazy natural talent. Thing is, Ghost has something else: a lot of anger, and a past that he is trying to outrun. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed and meld with the team, or will his past finally catch up to him?
M. O. Yuksel’s beautiful text celebrates the joys and traditions found in every mosque around the world and is brought to life with stunning artwork by New York Times bestselling illustrator Hatem Aly (Yasmin series, The Proudest Blue, The Inquisitor’s Tale). The book also includes backmatter with an author’s note, a glossary, and more information about many historical and significant mosques around the world.
As a young Navajo boy, Chester Nez had to leave the reservation and attend boarding school, where he was taught that his native language and culture were useless. But Chester refused to give up his heritage. Years later, during World War II, Chester and other Navajo men like him were recruited by the US Marines to use the Navajo language to create an unbreakable military code. Suddenly the language he had been told to forget was needed to fight a war.
Children’s book icon Joseph Bruchac tells the fascinating story of a Seneca (Iroquois) Civil War officer. Ely S. Parker (1828–1895)
An empowering celebration of identity, acceptance and Hawaiian culture based on the true story of a young girl in Hawaiʻi who dreams of leading the boys-only hula troupe at her school.
From award-winning author Tonya Bolden comes a biography of the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Black woman to run for president with a major political party: Shirley Chisholm.
Discover an inspiring picture book biography about Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese American woman to fly for the US military.
Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone!.
The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.
Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens--after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt.
Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces.
As a young Navajo boy, Chester Nez had to leave the reservation and attend boarding school, where he was taught that his native language and culture were useless. But Chester refused to give up his heritage. Years later, during World War II, Chester and other Navajo men like him were recruited by the US Marines to use the Navajo language to create an unbreakable military code. Suddenly the language he had been told to forget was needed to fight a war.
Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year of each other. Both grew up fatherless in similar Baltimore neighborhoods and had difficult childhoods; both hung out on street corners with their crews; both ran into trouble with the police. How, then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader, while the other ended up a convicted murderer serving a life sentence? Wes Moore, the author of this fascinating book, sets out to answer this profound question. In alternating narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption.
Stonewall Book Award Winner--Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both of their lives forever.
In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
When her sister Olga dies in a tragic accident, Julia is left to pick up the pieces of her family. She is also expected to fill the shoes of her sister. But Julia has never been the perfect Mexican daughter.As Julia struggles to find her place in the world, she discovers Olga was not as perfect as everyone thought. Who was her sister really? And how can Julia even attempt to live up to an impossible ideal?
Acclaimed author of Ash Malinda Lo returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet, a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the Red Scare. "Do you hear me' Everyone knows you're a good Chinese girl. This is just a mistake." For American-born Lily Hu, "good Chinese girl" feels like a mask she's only recently discovered she's been wearing.
Inspired by true events, David Safier's 28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto is a harrowing historical YA that chronicles the brutality of the Holocaust.
Going beyond the story of America as a country “discovered” by a few brave men in the “New World,” Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals the roles that settler colonialism and policies of American Indian genocide played in forming our national identity.
George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his magnetic performances, sharp wit, and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in STAR TREK, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's -- and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future.
As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry. But one day when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived.
Hip hop is one of the most dominant and influential cultures in America, giving new voice to the younger generation. It defines a generation's worldview. Exploring hip hop's beginnings up to the present day, Jeff Chang and Dave "Davey D" Cook provide a provocative look into the new world that the hip hop generation has created.
The word cowboy conjures up vivid images of rugged men on saddled horses—men lassoing cattle, riding bulls, or brandishing guns in a shoot-out. White men, as Hollywood remembers them. What is woefully missing from these scenes is their counterparts: the black cowboys who made up one-fourth of the wranglers and rodeo riders. This book tells their story.
Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate.
A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream—the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy.
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him.
“A haunted work, full of voices old and new. It is about a family’s reckoning with loss and injustice, and it is about a people trying for the same. The journey of this family’s way home is full—in equal measure—of melancholy and love.”
—Tommy Orange, author of There There
Irene Redfield is a Black woman living an affluent, comfortable life with her husband and children in the thriving neighborhood of Harlem in the 1920s. When she reconnects with her childhood friend Clare Kendry, who is similarly light-skinned, Irene discovers that Clare has been passing for a white woman after severing ties to her past—even hiding the truth from her racist husband.
A truly remarkable work of art that is already one of the most talked-about books of the season.
"Tan's lovingly laid out and masterfully rendered tale about the immigrant experience is a documentary magically told.
The astonishing untold history of America’s first black millionaires—former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring Twenties—self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison.
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target.
When George Washington was elected president, he reluctantly left behind his beloved Mount Vernon to serve in Philadelphia, the temporary seat of the nation’s capital. In setting up his household he brought along nine slaves, including Ona Judge. As the President grew accustomed to Northern ways, there was one change he couldn’t abide: Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state.
In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths
In Firsting and Lasting, Jean M. O’Brien argues that local histories became a primary means by which European Americans asserted their own modernity while denying it to Indian peoples. Erasing and then memorializing Indian peoples also served a more pragmatic colonial goal: refuting Indian claims to land and rights. Drawing on more than six hundred local histories from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island written between 1820 and 1880, as well as censuses, monuments, and accounts of historical pageants and commemorations, O’Brien explores how these narratives inculcated the myth of Indian extinction, a myth that has stubbornly remained in the American consciousness.
In 1869, nine-year old Black student Madora Bailey signed her name in the Robinson Female Seminary registration book, and ten years later, she was a member of the (small) Class of 1879. In this episode, Barbara explores Dora's journey from young girl to accomplished teacher and wife of Delaware State University President William C. Jason
Though small, Exeter’s Asian heritage has been part of our story since the 1880s. In this episode, Barbara introduces some of the earliest Chinese residents of Exeter, New Hampshire, and discusses some of their contributions to the town.
It is often said that the United States is a nation of immigrants; to the extent that it is true, Exeter is no exception. In her recent research, Barbara has uncovered a wealth of material about Exeter's immigrants. In this episode of the Exeter History Minute, she presents a brief overview of the waves of immigration that changed the human landscape of the town over its 375+ years.
In the mid-18th century, slavery was a fixture in Exeter, New Hampshire. After the Revolution, the number of Exeter residents who were enslaved dropped to two (two too many), but that didn’t make the town a friendly place — socially or economically — for its free Black community. In this episode, Barbara looks at a couple of the ways in which Exeter's Black residents helped one another create better lives. This Exeter History Minute is made possible by a grant from the Dan Brown Charitable Foundation, a fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
The Racial Unity Team (RŪT) is pleased to announce that Concord resident Jorge Santana has joined the growing nonprofit organization as its first Executive Director, after its Board of Directors voted unanimously to hire him.
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed annually in the United States from September 15 until October 15. September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. To celebrate, consider a book highlighting Latinx writers and stories: Recommended Reading Lists
On November 9, 2022, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Brackee v Haaland, the case concerning the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The Supreme Court’s decision will have huge implications for Native families, Native communities, and the future of tribal nations. If ICWA is overturned, not only will tribal nations lose their right to have a say in who raises their youngest citizens, but it will also open the door for tribes’ rights related to land ownership and more to be questioned.
You can learn more about the legal questions being reviewed and possible outcomes of the case by visiting the buttons below.
Understand the background of the case.
Listen to the audio recording and/or read the transcript of the oral arguments.
Watch the video Rebecca Nagle on the Supreme Court case that could gut native sovereignty.
I write this letter of support after a semester of working with 110 students as our school and the Racial Unity Team partner on a NHSCA pilot project initiative. At least three things are clear: 1. students are hooked - learning, reflecting and hungry for change; 2. we're growing professionally while our school enhances culturally; 3. the success from the past few months has us in a position to partner with neighboring schools in the service of expanded justice studies, equitable outcomes, and the creation of a student-centered network focused on agency and social change.
I'd like to elaborate on the point about students. Today I was talking with one of our students about what she enjoys about school, and she remarked how surprised she was to be doing such an "official" project. I asked what she meant, and she explained she wasn't used to school work involving real-world topics with professional artists and leaders in a way that put her voice and ambition at the center of the experience.
That's what this project has been about: connecting students not only to the world and people around them, but also, to the fires brewing in them - the fires that make them want to ask our artist-mentors how young people can find and use their voices. That a curriculum existed to support this and that there were teachers open to adapting and innovating where needed and possible to ensure we fan those flames is another facet that we will not overlook. Equally compelling is the institutional backdrop that this has played out as our district bolsters our work around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
As a result we have students getting peers to think about constitutional quandaries found in the Pledge of Allegiance, wanting to change the uniform standards governing female athletes, pushing for social-media "fasts" in service of improved personal and social well-being, as well as considering the impacts of "cancel culture," re-imagining the current structure and goals of public education, and asking others to consider their word choice in everyday interactions.
Thanks to your support, we have identified the various nexus points between these ideas and pedagogical strands and are excited to share what we have learned with colleagues and learners in another district. That is, after all, the purpose of education: to share our passions and knowledge so that more people tomorrow benefit from what we learned today.
With this experience as the focal point, we bring practiced perspective, vetted resources, shared ideals and devotion to working together toward them, along with what happily feels like a bottomless well of commitment and enthusiasm to doing the work it takes to make it happen. Thank you to all who have been involved and to you for considering our re-application.
Sincerely, Adam Krauss, CAGS, Exeter High School, Extended Learning Opportunities, Coordinator and Class of 2024
May 14, 2021
Watch the introductory video
Dreamers is an autobiographical picture book by Yuyi Morales that tells the story of a mother and her son's journey from Mexico to the United States in the mid-1990s, highlighting the many obstacles immigrants face while trying to survive in a new country that doesn't readily welcome non-English-speaking people of color. The book celebrates the transformative power of literacy, language, and the picture book form, and features magical art that incorporates Mexican traditions and mythology, as well as tributes to kid lit classics, old and new.
Last Stop on Market Street tells the story of a young boy named CJ and his Nana, who take the bus to its last stop on Market Street every Sunday after church, and through Nana's playful imagination and gentle leadership, CJ begins to see each moment as an opportunity to find beauty in what he has and can give, as well as in the city where they live.
The Name Jar is a picture book by Yangsook Choi that tells the story of Unhei, a young Korean girl who has just moved to America and is ashamed of her name when the children on the bus find it difficult to pronounce and ridicule it, but with the help of her classmates and a boy named Joey, she learns to appreciate her name and cultural identity.
In Everything in Its Place, Nicky doesn't feel that she belongs, but she learns to appreciate her identity when she meets a group of motorcyclists who celebrate their differences. Poetic text and rich illustrations offer a touching account of the challenges of assimilation and the importance of validation.
This is a kids book about belonging. It tackles what it’s like when you feel like you belong to a group or family or team, and what it’s like when you don’t. It addresses what it feels like when you don’t fit in, or when it may feel like others don’t want you around.
This book teaches kids aged 5-9 how to incorporate the feeling of belonging into their lives. The feeling of belonging is something that everyone strives for, which is why it’s important to know how to belong to yourself and love who you are, and how that helps you to belong anywhere.
The Matchbox Diary is a picture book by Paul Fleischman and Bagram Ibatoulline that tells the story of an Italian-American immigrant who shares his childhood memories with his great-granddaughter through a "diary" of saved objects that commemorate the important events of his life. The sepia-toned illustrations beautifully express his journey from Italy to Ellis Island and the start of a new life, providing an inspirational introduction to the immigration story that captures the humanity of the journey.
In New Kid, a graphic novel by Jerry Craft, African-American boy Jordan Banks navigates the mostly white Riverdale Academy Day School, where he experiences microaggressions and struggles to find his self-identity, but through art and with the help of supportive classmates, he learns to cope with the challenges of being the new kid and the only student of color.
An intro to the book by author Jerry Craft:
In Fish in a Tree, a middle-grade novel by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Ally Nickerson, a dyslexic girl who has attended seven schools in seven years, copes with her difficulty reading and misunderstandings caused by her acting out, until a creative new teacher helps her recognize her dyslexia and renew her determination to read. The story offers a poignant portrayal of the challenges of dyslexia and the importance of supportive teachers and friends.
First three chapters read by the author:
In Rain Is Not My Indian Name, the sensitive and witty narrator, 14-year-old Cassidy Rain Berghoff, grows up in a small Kansas town as one of the few people with some Native American heritage. The story follows her conflicts and experiences, including the death of her mother, her best friend's death, and her enrollment in her great-aunt's Indian Camp, and the book offers a poignant portrayal of the challenges of growing up and finding one's identity.
Ghost is a middle-grade novel by Jason Reynolds that follows Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw, a boy who has been running for three years since his father shot a gun at him and his mother, as he gets recruited by a local track coach for a championship team, but must stop getting into fights at school to stay on the team. The story portrays the challenges of growing up and finding one's identity, tackling issues such as theft, bullying, and domestic violence with candor and bravery, while opening a door for empathy and discussion.
A young Korean girl named Chuna struggles to find her place in the world as she navigates cultural differences, family dynamics, and the pursuit of self-identity in her new American home
In her debut graphic novel, Harmony Becker captures the experience of living in a foreign country and grappling with a new language through the story of Nao, a Japanese American teenager. Becker's art references manga and Japanese urban aesthetics, reinforcing the book's themes of immersion and self-definition, making it a must-read for teens interested in language and cultural exploration.
Walking In Two Worlds by Wab Kinew
Kinew's Walking In Two Worlds is an exhilarating and thought-provoking novel that seamlessly blends heart-pounding action with textured family and community relationships, all while showcasing the vibrant future of Indigenous culture through the eyes of a young protagonist. Bugz's journey through the real and virtual worlds is a captivating exploration of identity, self-discovery, and the power of connection. Kinew's writing is both thrilling and deeply personal, creating a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. This novel is a must-read for fans of young adult fiction, Indigenous literature, and anyone seeking a story that will stay with them long after the final page.
18-year-old Ben, kicked out by their unsupportive parents after coming out as nonbinary, finds refuge with their estranged sister Hannah and her husband Thomas. Starting a new school, Ben meets Nathan, a friendly student assigned to help them adjust. As their bond deepens, Ben grapples with self-acceptance and anxiety, facing the challenge of coming out to Nathan and exploring their budding feelings. Deaver's debut novel tackles complex issues like LGBTQ+ identity and family acceptance with sensitivity and heart, offering a relatable and hopeful story. Along the way, Ben discovers the true meaning of belonging, finding acceptance within their chosen family and the possibility of love with Nathan.
Adult Fiction
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza tells the story of a splintered Muslim Indian family in California, focusing on the varied experiences of Layla and Rafiq, who try to maintain Islamic traditions, and their children, who struggle with faith, responsibility, racism, fear, longing, and jealousy. Mirza conveys with graceful specificity the rhythms of Muslim life, from prayer to wearing hijab, gender etiquette, food, holidays, and values, all of which illuminate universal quandaries about family, self, culture, beliefs, and generational change.
Adult Fiction
Linus Baker, a tightly wound caseworker, is sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children, where he meets extraordinary kids and starts to question a world that treats magical children as second-class citizens, in this breezy and fun contemporary fantasy by TJ Klune.
Adult Fiction
Victor, a young medical student, fights in the Spanish Civil War and later escapes to Chile with Roser, a pregnant woman he marries in name only. They build a life together, raising Roser's son, but face political persecution under the Pinochet dictatorship. Allende's vivid prose beautifully captures their journey of exile, love, and resilience against the backdrop of historical events.
Adult Nonfiction
Renowned cultural critic bell hooks examines the meaning of home, belonging, and the connection between people and the land in her book Belonging: A Culture of Place. This collection of essays reflects on issues of land and land ownership, regionalism, the self in place, connection, community, and the past, present, and future of the South, while also discussing the esthetics of blackness and the politics of race and class, and offering a remarkable vision of a world where all people can live fully and well, wherever they may call home.
Adult Nonfiction
In Tribe, National Magazine Award-winning journalist Junger meditates on tribal sentiment, how it aids "loyalty and belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning," and how the disappearance of this sentiment has had toxic consequences for modern societies. Junger explores the virtues of tribal communities, in particular Native American societies, for their embrace of belonging as a core principle of human well-being, and suggests that the U.S. could cure its ills if it could only focus on the collective good.
Adult Nonfiction
In Braving the Wilderness, author Brene Brown explores how to cultivate community and belonging in a disconnected world. Through personal stories and research, she outlines the elements of true belonging, which encourage readers to connect with others, set boundaries, and be more curious than defensive. The book emphasizes the importance of taking risks and living from "our wild heart" to achieve a healthy sense of interconnectedness and Brown offers practical advice for building meaningful relationships.
Racial Unity Team
P. O. Box 101 Stratham, NH 03885
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