"This groundbreaking book uncovers how anti-Black racism has informed and perpetuated anti-literacy laws, policies, and customs from the colonial period to the present day. A counternarrative of the history of Black literacy in the United States, the book's historical lens reveals the interlocking political and social structures that have repeatedly failed to support equity in literacy for Black students. Arlette Ingram Willis walks readers through the impact of anti-Black racism's impact on literacy education by identifying and documenting the unacknowledged history of Black literacy education, one that is inextricably bound up with a history of White supremacy. In illuminating chapters, Willis exposes, interrogates, and analyzes incontrovertible historical evidence of the social, political, and legal efforts to deny equal literacy access. Chapters cover an in-depth evolution of the role of White supremacy and the harm it causes in forestalling Black readers' progress; a critical examination of empirical research and underlying ideological assumptions that resulted in limiting literacy access; and a review of federal and state documents that restricted reading access for Black people. Willis interweaves historical vignettes throughout the text as antidotes to whitewashing the history of literacy among Black people in the US and offers recommendations on ways forward to dismantle racist reading research and laws. By centering the narrative on the experiences of Black people in the US, Willis shifts the conversation and provides an uncompromising focus on not only the historical impact of such laws and policies but also their connections to the present-day laws and policies. A definitive history of the instructional and legal structures that have harmed generations of Black people, this text is essential for scholars, students, and policymakers in literacy education, reading research, history of education, and social justice education"--

On Saturdays in late ’90s, my father, a taxi driver, would pool his tips for the week and take me, a child too precocious for his own good, to a local bookstore in search of my next read. Together,…

Be Antiracist imagines what an antiracist society might look like and how we all can play an active role in building one. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the author of How to Be an Antiracist, the book that spurred a nationwide conversation redefining what it means to be antiracist, and in this podcast, he guides listeners how they can identify and reject the racist systems hiding behind racial inequity and injustice. Alongside notable guests, Dr. Kendi continues his journey towards building a just and equitable world and proposes how we can all help create it with him.

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to author Ibram X. Kendi, who has made a name for himself tackling one of the most sensitive topics in America: racism. His latest book is How to Be an Antiracist.

"Our national conversation about anti-Black racism made 2020 a pivotal year - painful for many cathartic for others memorable to all. Now a new year brings new opportunities to listen to Black voices and stories. Pick up one of these titles to deepen your knowledge of our country's past and join the chorus of voices advocating for a better future."

In response to protests around the country and around the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police we at the Social Justice Film Institute feel it important to honor the social justice moment we're living in right now. This document is intended to share films and reading inspired by the mission of social justice and racial equity and resources to donate in aid of those fighting for black lives and protesting police brutality. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The Social Justice Film Festival stands in solidarity with black communities and with organizers and protestors demanding justice and equity across the nation. We are committed to a global culture where it is not just equality but equity that is achieved on all levels. We will work to affirm the artists who make the art of filmmaking and the public bearing witness from our personal lens and from the streets an integral part of social change. Justice Matters. Black Lives Matter.