Cooperative Collection Development -- CCD: Embracing Race

Moving past the basic conversations about race, this collection provides resources that encourage thoughtful reflection and analysis to explore how we can embrace race and diversity in our schools and beyond.

This collection of resources - books, film, video, etc. - is meant to be used by Teachers and Students interested in the issues of social justice, racial equity and supporting the ongoing process of learning about and enacting anti-racist actions.

Researching film and video for this topic can take you down quite a few rabbit holes  - the resources are many. There are quite a few quality resources available - video, film, documentary -  and more than a few really bad films. The following are curated resources that I hope you and your students will find valuable, thought-provoking and precursors to lots of good discussions.

3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets | Directed by Marc Silver

On Black Friday 2012 at a Florida gas station, two cars parked next to each other for those passing moments and the interaction between them was devastating. A white middle-aged male and a black teenager exchanged angry words over the volume of the music in the boy’s car. A gun entered the exchange and one of them was left dead.

13TH / Where to Watch: Netflix and YouTube / This 2016 documentary from Academy Award-nominated Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the U.S.’s deep history of racial inequality. Featuring scholars, activists, and politicians, this thought-provoking documentary analyzes the criminalization and mass incarceration of Black Americans over time. The film is so well done, and while some scenes are, frankly, very hard to watch, its messaging is incredibly important and educational—especially now.

LA92- LA 92 is about the Los Angeles riots that occurred in response to the police beating of Rodney King. The film is entirely composed of archival footage — no talking heads needed. It's chilling to watch the unrest of nearly 30 years ago, as young people still take to the streets and shout, "No justice, no peace."

A Ballerina’s Tale / Rated: N/A /Where to Watch: YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, and Sling TV A Ballerina’s Tale shows the struggles and successes of Misty Copeland, the first Black principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. The film explores themes around race as well as body image.

A Dream in Doubt - Independent Television Service (57 min.) 2007  An immigrant story of survival as a wave of deadly hate crimes terrorizes the Sikh American community in Phoenix, Arizona. The film features Rana Sodhi, an Indian immigrant whose life is forever altered by the 9/11 terror attacks, ... because Rana’s turban and beard—articles of his Sikh faith—now symbolize America’s new enemy....A Dream in Doubt follows Rana Singh Sodhi, Balbir’s brother, as he attempts to fight the hate threatening his family and community. ...These incidents receive little to no coverage in the U.S. media, and a national dialogue concerning post-9/11 hate crimes and ethnic profiling is sorely missing....A Dream in Doubt explores the complexities of race, religion, immigration, and the American Dream.

Akeelah and the Bee  / Rated: PG /Where to Watch: YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu / Akeelah is an 11-year-old that lives in a predominantly Black neighborhood and goes to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The film explores the unique pressure that Akeelah feels, as well as the discrimination she faces from the families of other competitors.

A Most Unlikely Hero, directed by Steve Okino (57 mins.) 2006  This inspiring film chronicles Capt. Bruce Yamashita's fight against racial discrimination in the Marine Corps. A third-generation American of Japanese ancestry, he grew up in Hawaii and was a graduate of Georgetown law school, and a delegate to the Hawaii  Constitutional Convention. In 1989 he joined the Marine Corps and sought to qualify as an officer.... Two days before graduation, hewas "disenrolled," along with three other minority candidates. Although he had never been a civil rights activist, this injustice nagged at him.  It was to be a five year battle. An eight-hour hearing brought national news coverage. Bruce’s courageous and tenacious efforts revealed that racial discrimination was rampant in the Marine Corps.

And the Children Shall Lead, 9+  Direct and sensitive, this tween-friendly take on how the civil rights movement turned the South upside down in the 1960s is both direct enough to hold tweens' attention and important enough to be good family viewing.

Bamboozled - New Line Cinema (135 min.) 2000   Director Spike Lee ... tackles a thorny mix of racism and how images are bought and sold. A frustrated TV writer named Delacroix (Damon Wayans), unable to break his contract, tries to get fired by proposing a new minstrel show, complete with dancers in blackface. But the network loves the idea, and Delacroix hires two street performers (Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson) whose hunger for success and ignorance of history combine to make them accept the blackface. Despite protests, the show is a huge success--but gradually, the mental balance of everyone involved starts to crumble. ... By the time it's over, Bamboozled won't have told you what to think, but you will have to think about these issues.  Director : Spike Lee. Performers : Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Tommy Davidson, Michael Rappaport.

CLICK ON THE BOX ABOVE TO GO TO THE "EMBRACING RACE & DIVERSITY " COLLECTION IN SORA.

"The Danger of A Single Story." Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

TEACHING WITH AN ANTIRACIST LENS - NEA

https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/teaching-anti-racist-lens

HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST EDUCATOR - ASCD

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-to-be-an-antiracist-educator

TOOLS FOR ANTIRACIST TEACHING - PBS

https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/tools-for-anti-racist-teaching/

THE 1619 PROJECT (THE NEW YORK TIMES)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/20/magazine/1619-intro.html

Across college campuses and social media, younger generations have started to challenge those fleeting comments that seem innocent but leave uneasy feelings behind. Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/1gQjujC

LEARNING FOR JUSTICE (formerly TEACHING TOLERANCE)

https://www.learningforjustice.org/

CENTER FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN EDUCATION

https://centerracialjustice.org/

RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT RACE AND RACISM WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/learning/lesson-plans/resources-for-teaching-about-race-and-racism-with-the-new-york-times.html

BLACK LIVES MATTER

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

TALKING ABOUT RACE /BEING ANTIRACIST (NAT'L MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE)

https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist

"How microaggressions are like mosquito bites" • Same Difference - For people that still don't think micro aggresions are a problem: just imagine that instead of being a stupid comment, a microaggression is a mosquito bite.[VIDEO]