UCDS Racial Justice Statement

All of us at UCDS are devastated by the horrible death of George Floyd. We recognize the impact of his death against the backdrop of racism and violence toward African American citizens and communities of color. Mr. Floyd’s death serves as a stark reminder that we still have much work to do to address the systemic racism, inequities, white supremacy, and other disparities that exist in our country. It is undoubtedly weighing heavily on our students, staff, and families. Specifically, we want to recognize the grief and fear that our black students, families, and staff are experiencing. This is a time to listen, learn, and help our children to process information, while standing by our families of color.

Families have reached out to say they are emotional about what they are seeing and learning. They have asked for support as they talk with their young children about race, equity, and equality. All of us at UCDS are having these conversations in our own families and with our colleagues regarding how to support the children we teach. Especially now, we are all feeling the responsibility and opportunity to make positive changes in our country. And as your family forges your own path forward, we are standing beside you.

(May 2020)

UCDS Library Recommendations

Online Collections

Comprehensive lists from Social Justice Books: Teaching for Change Project
https://socialjusticebooks.org/about/

Social Justice literature: Civil rights
https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/civil-rights-teaching/classroom/

Black History
https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/black-history/#early

Complete list of book-lists
https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/

Non-Fiction Books

Not My Idea : A Book About Whiteness - Anastasia Higginbotham

A white child sees a TV news report of a white police officer shooting and killing a black man. 'In our family, we don't see color,' his mother says, but he sees the colors plain enough. An afternoon in the library's history stacks uncover the truth of white supremacy in America. Racism was not his idea and he refuses to defend it.

Separate Is Never Equal : Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation - Duncan Tonatiuh.

Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez, an eight-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an instrumental role in Mendez v. Westminster, the landmark desegregation case of 1946 in California.

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds : The Sammy Lee Story - Paula Yoo ; illustrations by Dom Lee

Presents the true story of Dr. Sammy Lee and his desire to become an Olympic diver in an age when racism and prejudice ruled in America, and describes how he honored his father's wishes to become a doctor as well.

Freedom Over Me : Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life - Ashley Bryan

Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, contrasts the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away.

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise our Voices - Edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Wells Hudson ; Foreword by Ashley Bryan

What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.

Picture Books

The Big Umbrella - Amy June Bates ; Co-written with Juniper Bates

A spacious umbrella welcomes anyone and everyone who needs shelter from the rain.

Chicken Sunday - Patricia Polacco

To thank Miss Eula for her wonderful Sunday chicken dinners, three children sell decorated eggs to buy her a beautiful Easter hat.

Crown : An Ode to the Fresh Cut - Derrick Barnes ; illustrated by Gordon C. James.

Celebrates the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair.

The Day You Begin - Jacqueline Woodson ; illustrated by Rafael López

Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself. But later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider.

Freedom On the Menu : The Greensboro Sit-ins - by Carole Boston Weatherford ; paintings by Jerome Lagarrigue.

The 1960 civil rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, are seen through the eyes of a young Southern black girl.

Jabari Jumps - Gaia Cornwall.

Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons. He's passed his swim test. It's just... maybe he should do some stretches first. 'Looks easy,' says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back.

The Other Side - Jacqueline Woodson

Two girls, one white and one black, gradually get to know each other as they sit on the fence that divides the town.

Yo! Yes? - Chris Raschka

Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and become friends.

Chapter Books

Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson.

This award-winning author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South.

The Chupacabras of the Río Grande - by Adam Gidwitz & David Bowles ; illustrated by Hatem (Series: Unicorn Rescue Society)

Uchenna and Elliot travel with Professor Fauna to the Texas-Mexico border to save the region's animals and help bring a divided community back together with the help of locals.

The Crossover - Kwame Alexander

Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health (Part 1 of 4-part series)

The Mighty Miss Malone - by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Deza Malone, the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, accompanies her mother and older brother on a trip to find her father, an African American man who left to find work after the Great Depression hit. They end up in a Hooverville outside of Flint, Michigan, and her brother attempts to be a performer while Deza and her mother search for a home.

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich - Ibi Zoboi ; illustrations by Anthony Piper.

In the summer of 1984, twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace of Huntsville, Alabama, visits her father in Harlem, where her fascination with outer space and science fiction interfere with her finding acceptance.

Stella By Starlight - Sharon M. Draper.

When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town

The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA - Brenda Woods

Gabriel, twelve, gains new perspective when he becomes friends with Meriwether, a Black World War II hero who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South.

Poetry and Short-Stories

Flying Lessons & Other Stories - Edited by Ellen Oh

From basketball dreams and family fiascos to first crushes and new neighborhoods, this anthology, written by award-winning children's authors, celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.

I Remember : Poems and Pictures of Heritage

Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins ; poems by Kwame Alexander, Jorge Tetl Argueta, Joseph Bruchac, Nick Bruel, Margarita Engle [and nine others] ; pictures by Paula Barragán, Sawsan Chalabi, R. Gregory Christie, Julie Downing, David Kanietakeron Fadden [and eleven others].

A collection of works by poets and illustrators of diverse backgrounds sharing memorable childhood and family experiences and reflecting on their different heritages, traditions, and beliefs.