31 Must Read Books About Racism for Teachers
I loved putting together this list of must read books about racism because there is no better moment than now to expand how you think about race, how you project messages of race in your classroom, and how you teach students about race and social justice.
You may be coming at this list from a few different places. With that in mind, there are a couple of different book lists to meet your needs. If you are just wanting to start somewhere, then pick a book… ANY BOOK and start reading. Anything you can do to expand your awareness or understanding makes a difference.
I’m glad you are here.
I am glad you are ready to get a new or improved perspective.
And I’m glad you are here to find some books about racism, race, and race relations. Let’s get started!
Books About Racism for Teens
If you teach teens or pre-teens, bless you! There are so many ways you’re challenged daily to meet the needs of a huge number of students. As you decide what literature to put in front of those kids to improve their reading, comprehension, and test scores, consider books that will also sculpt their global understanding and sense of self. Here are some great books about racism and race for middle school or high school students.
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
By: Ibi Zoboi + more
A perfect book about race for middle school students, this is a collection of captivating short stories that are easy to read. You’ll wish there were more! It brings some amazing authors together to offer some different perspectives on what it is like to be young and black in America. Readers will see themselves in every story. You’ll love this one!
Genesis Begins Again
By: Alicia Williams
This acclaimed book has won too many awards to list. It’s the story of a 13-year old girl who has to deal with internalized racism and learn to love herself as the new girl in a suburban school. This book really takes the reader on a painful journey through abuse, race, and self acceptance. It will speak to your whole soul.
Resist: 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice
By: Veronica Chambers
If you feel like you are teaching the next generation of change-makers, then you MUST inspire the future activist with this collection of remarkable people who stood up to injustice. These profiles span generations and allow a historical perspective (so teens know their history and avoid repeating it). This one is truly inspiring.
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work
By: Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand
If you are ready to support teens as they look introspectively at themselves, this is the book for you! It is so much more than just a book about racism, it’s a way to empower being anti-racist starting with understanding what it is, where it came from, and why racism continues to exist.
This book actually asks you to write, draw, think, and act… and that makes it a great book for teens and perfect for teachers looking to bring lessons about race into the classroom.
The Hate You Give
By: Angie Thomas
Made into a major motion picture, this book is absolutely stunning! It will resonate with readers in an authentic way as they contemplate fairness in a society vexed with racism and grappling with police violence against people of color. Readers will laugh, cry, and think too.
Books with Positive Minority Message for Children
If you are reading books in your classroom, do a quick audit on the number of books that include a main character that is a person of color.
Every child in your classroom should have an opportunity to see themselves in the books you read in class. Those characters should be positive and celebrate diversity and ethnicity, not call out the character as different or cast the character with negative traits. Those underlying messages matter.
Even if you do not have any minorities in your classroom, you should still choose books with minorities, people of color, and those with disabilities. You have a unique opportunity to sculpt a child’s perspective, so including these types of books matters.
Hair Love
By: Matther A Cherry
I LOVE, LOVE this book! As a momma who’s had to work through some hair in my days, I connected with this story right from the start. But, more importantly for kids, this is a great story about the connection between a dad and his daughter. In a society where the prevailing narrative centers around absentee black dads, this is a great reminder of the real black experience. And it also reminds little black girls to love their hair.
Yasmin the Teacher
By: Saadia Faruqi
Yasmin lives in a multi-generational Pakistani family but each book in the Yasmin series speaks to kids of all races. I love that this mixes a person of color with the secular setting of Yasmin’s world in a positive and fun way. You will keep the attention of all your littles while addressing acceptance of all.
Dress Like a Girl
By: Patricia Toht
What a fun book for girls of all races. It not only empowers girls, but it also represents so many races, all with positivity and adorable illustrations! Grab this one just because.
Girl Power!
Honeysmoke
By: Monique Fields
Am I black or white? I am biracial and this one really hits home for me. In classrooms where mixed race kids have to find their place, this may help address being yourself as well as being understanding of others.
After all, we are a little bit of a lot of things.
Some Days
By: Karen Kaufman Orloff
This is a rhyming picture book perfect for early elementary and addresses emotions in a way that is accepting and acknowledges what ‘some days’ feel like. The two characters are of different races, and that doesn’t matter at all. It is just a great underlying message of sameness in our experiences.
Books to Teach Kids about Race Specifically
Sometimes you want to dive deeper with students about race. If you are looking for children’s books about race to help you talk to your students about racism in general, then it may be easier to guide that conversation using books like these.
Say Something
By: Peter H. Reynolds
If you see injustice, then say something. This is a great book to teach kids that every day you can be an activist. It is such a huge message packaged in a cute little book and really encompasses the mood of society these days.
Daddy Why Am I Brown?: A healthy conversation about skin color and family
By: Bedford F. Palmer
Lots of our students live in multicultural families or mixed race adoption homes. This is a thoughtful and prideful way to think about race, ethnicity and skin color.
Antiracist Baby
By: Ibram X. Kendi
9 simple steps for building a more equitable world that speaks to adults and kids alike. It really does offer ways to be an antiracist in a world where every voice matters, even that of a baby.
Plus, is this not the cutest book cover ever?!?
A Kid’s Book About Racism
By: Jelani Memory
It is never too early to talk about racism if we plan on erasing it from the fibers of our society. This one offers a clear description of racism so kids can understand it and spot it when it happens.
It also goes over what it feels like to be discriminated against so there is a universality to the discussion. A must read if you are looking for books about racism and teaching about race in elementary school.
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness
By: Anastasia Higginbotham
It is not just about understanding the life of a minority, having a meaningful conversation about race also includes talking about white privilege in an accessible way. This one is a great add if you live or work in a classroom without much diversity. It provides an honest lens by which to view racism with truth and a little rawness too.
Books to Better Understand Race as a Teacher
If you are here to expand your understanding of race and how that impacts students in your classroom, then you have to read one of these! It doesn’t matter which one, they are all great in their own way, but reading one of these books about race will change how you approach the students in your classroom as well as how you design lessons.
All American Boys
By: Jason Reynolds
Systemic racism impacts people of different races in different ways. This book takes a single situation and shows how it impacts two different teens and their communities. It is a real way to see the pulsating racial tension in today’s society.
Raising White Kids
By: Jennifer Harvey
If you are looking for a way to approach teaching kids how to address racism, think about racial inequality, and identify how they fit in a move towards racial justice, then you have to read this book. It is perfect for educators looking to guide kids to be mindful of race and race relations.
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
By: Monique W. Morris
There has been a lot of talk about being a black man in America, but the conversation needs to include the marginalization of women and girls of color in our society. If you have ever thought about the experiences of black girls in schools across this country and your role in it, pick this book up. How and why we need to change the policies that criminalize some students in our care will stay with you after reading this book.
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People
By: Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald
We stereotype people in all sorts of subconscious and subversive ways. If you are looking for a larger perspective on how the stereotypes we hold shape the identities of the students we teach, you’ve got to get this book. It sheds light into our own blindspots and also gives ideas on how to think with less discrimination.
The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys
By: Moore, Michel & Penick-Parks
If you have ever felt like you weren’t connecting with a black boy in your classroom, then this book is an essential read. Our educational system fails minorities every day. Student success depends on connections, most importantly with their teacher. This is a great book about educational racism, overcoming your biases, and fostering a sense of belonging in your classroom.
Books About Race and Education
If you are a teacher, then you are a part of the larger system of education… and a part of the systemic racism intertwined in education at large. As you consider how to teach students about race and diversity in the classroom, it is essential to craft a better understanding of the larger education system.
You may find you need to adjust your lessons to be more culturally aware and actually teach social justice. Start with a book about the system to better understand your classroom.
Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria
By: Beverly Tatum
This is an oldie but goodie. If you’ve never read it, snag the revised edition to get a better understanding of the dynamics of race in school. Gaining insight as to racial interactions in the classroom will help you craft thoughtful lessons and foster a sense of unity amongst your students. After all these years, this is still a must read book for teachers on race in schools.
Multiplication is for White People
By: Lisa Delpit
The idea that there is no achievement gap at birth starts you thinking about the impact of education on real student outcomes. As we move children through the education system (and our classrooms), how is what we’re doing contributing to the problem?
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood
By: Chris Emdin
A little more ‘book study’ than ‘casual weekend read’, it may be just what you are looking for if you are interested in learning actionable steps you can take in the classroom, especially as a new teacher. When you’re setting up your classroom and looking to develop a classroom culture that is sensitive to the real lives of students, this book offers great insight.
Everyday Anti-Racism
By: Mica Pollock
If you want straight up advice and a new perspective on racial inequality in the classroom, then this is for you. Diversity is more than just an hour professional development on the first day of school. How are you going to deal with the daily challenge of maintaining an antiracist classroom? Start by reading this book.
Black Appetite. White Food.
By: Jamila Lyiscott
If you think your classroom leaves race at the door, you may actually be part of the problem. This book asks you to examine yourself and the role you plan in race relations and racism with your students. A short read, but still thoughtful and perfect as a conversation starter amongst educators.
Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools
By: Howard Stevenson
This one is a little more academic in nature, it offers some strategies and measurable goals for improving school climate in relation to race. This book speaks to educators in schools that are predominantly white and touches on how to address and resolve racial tension and improve outcomes.
Personal Reads About Racism
Maybe you’re just looking for a book to read as a personal journey into the ideas of race, racial injustice, the historical subtext of race, or how to fight racism. I love the idea of doing any of those things.
I personally liked reading Disintegration by Eugene Robinson. When he said that desegregation was the worst thing that ever happened to the black community, I had to check my history books! Always touted as the essential step towards equality, it was interesting to read about the splintering of Black America.
You would also be profoundly woke by reading any of these books about race.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
By: Ibram X. Kendi
When protesters shout from the streets that racial oppression is centuries old, I wonder if they realize it dates back so much further than that. This book is one of the most enlightening and enjoyable history books I have ever read and it sits up on my shelf next to The People’s History. If you look around your world and don’t see deep seeded racism, then you need to read this book to better understand the extent to which it is woven into our very fabric.
One of the best books about racism and its evolution in America.
One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy
By: Carol Anderson
Every average American in this country has to come to grips with the extent to which voter suppression not only exists, but how the American government is actually increasing racial discriminatory legislation to minimize minority voices. If this does not open your eyes to the perpetual war minorities face in our modern day democratic society, nothing will. P.S. You will never not vote again!
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
By: Michelle Alexander
I remember when I first read this book. I was aghast at the thought that what I saw as steps towards the eradication of racism and systemic inequalities was actually a new era of Jim Crow through the criminal justice system. My guess is as you read this book, you will come away with a new perspective on racism in American and the roles jails play in oppression.
They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, And A New Era In America’s Racial Justice Movement
By: Wesley Lowery
If names like Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray and Michael Brown bring to life the racial inequality in this country for you personally, you absolutely must read this book to start to grasp the broader ripples of events like this in the black community. How many lives have to be lost in this nation before we see change? This is an account of the events that birthed the Black Lives Matter movement and worth the read.
How to Argue With a Racist
By: Adam Rutherford
Talking about race can get heated and hostile, especially when you are talking to a racist. If you are a science-y person who likes historical research and theory, but also lots of facts to throw in unwoke faces, then you will like this book. Get it with Audible to hear the author read it himself.
Start Reading ‘Cause Knowledge is Power
There you have it.
A list of 31 Books about racism, how to teach about racism, and literature for kids to help learn about race. Curating this list was a great moment for me to reflect on books I’ve read in the past and how they’ve changed my perspective. I also filled my Amazon cart with some new titles.
If you’d like a better understanding of race in the classroom or racism and social justice, then you’ve got to read one of these must read books. Like I said, it doesn’t matter which book you pick.
Start Reading!
The only way we can improve race inequality in education and begin to address racial disparities in the classroom is by educating those tasked with improving student outcomes.
Stay Strong and Teach on!
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