The 2023 national theme for Black History Month is “Black Resistance,” in recognition of the historic and ongoing oppression that Black and African American people have resisted.
Here are the top 5 books about Black Resistance that librarian Alicia T. recommends for kids and teens.
- The first recommendation starts with two books! Stamped (for Kids) by Sonja Cherry-Paul and Stamped by Jason Reynolds. Stamped (for Kids) is a National Book Award-winning chapter book on racism and anti-racism. Kids can discover people who fought racism with antiracism and learn how to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives. Stamped takes teens on a journey showing how racist ideas started and spread, and how to discredit them. Both books are available in Spanish with Stamped (para niños) and Stamped.
- Hold Them Close by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a celebration of Black children that showcases their past, embracing the present, and reaching for a bright future.
- Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids by Rann Miller gives children an opportunity to learn about little-known facts and figureheads from Black history while fully encapsulating the experiences of the Black and African diaspora. Learn about African enslavement, the Civil Rights Movement, and more historic events.
- Victory. Stand! by Tommie Smith is a graphic memoir about Olympic gold medal winner Tommie Smith’s athletic career and his fight for civil rights. This memoir takes you through Tommie's life as a child in Texas, up to his Olympic victory and protest of racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans.
- Revolution in Our Time by Kekla Magoon is a compelling book that shares the history of the Black Panther party as a revolutionary movement. The Black Panther party became a target of one of the most sustained repression efforts ever made by the U.S. government against its own citizens. Magoon’s work invites a new generation of readers to learn from the Panther’s history and courage.
Bonus book: Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransom is a story about a girl named Ruth Anne and her family’s journey as part of the Great Migration from North Carolina to New York City.