Racism and its personal, social, economic and political effects impact every aspect of society. In the United States, the recent killings of Mr. George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor, and numerous other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement demonstrate how much more work is needed to create an antiracist society. The Global Book Alliance calls on the international education community to redouble our efforts, in America and around the globe, to leverage the power of education to eradicate racism.
Books have a central role to play in building communities that reject and abandon racism. Books can help us learn about perspectives we might not otherwise encounter. Stories can motivate us to examine how, as a society, we replicate harmful norms about which groups benefit from privilege, and which do not. Books can make potentially sensitive topics accessible to diverse audiences, and can pave the way for conversations about race and racism that might not otherwise take place. Books can help readers examine their own behavior and confront their own, internalized racist ideas.
Exploring books that positively represent Black children, promote antiracist ideals, and offer models for effective allyship helps teachers, parents, and students gain the critical thinking, vocabulary, and social and emotional skills they need to build a society that treats all human beings equally. The list below provides links to ten English-language storybooks that will assist even the youngest children and their families to explore race and multiracial representation in age-appropriate and affirming ways. We have also featured these books in the Global Book Alliance’s #antiracist storybook series on the Global Book Alliance twitter feed.
A young child notices different shades of skin and celebrates the diversity around her.
This story celebrates the tradition of visiting the barbershop and the confidence the experience provides for Black boys.
This story explores the persistence and passion of a young Black dancer. It is based on the real experience of prolific dancer and choreographer, Debbie Allan.
is a true story about thousands of African American children who faced fear, hate, and danger to protest segregation in the USA.
is a picture book that combines beautiful illustrations with the words of Langston Hughes’s celebrated poem of the same name.
This beautifully illustrated board book, accessible for the youngest learners, showcases women who changed the world.
This award-winning picture book is a celebration of the joy of giving.
is a historical fiction that tells the story of a Black family on a road-trip during the civil rights movement.
is a story of an inquisitive African American second grader and a born scientist.
celebrates the diversity in our world and the fact that, inside, we are all the same--wherever and whoever we are.
The Global Book Alliance is keenly aware that racism is not a uniquely American phenomenon, that books in English will not reach all constituencies that rely on the Alliance’s services, and that providing children greater access to literature featuring Black protagonists is merely one small component of the complex and extensive changes needed to dismantle systemic racism on an international scale. The Alliance is confident, however, that if children worldwide increasingly engage from a young age with books that showcase the Black experience in relatable and positive ways, they will learn to interrupt racist policies and practices, and to form and nurture communities where all Black lives matter.