Course Terminology
This isn't just not being racist; it's taking direct action to combat racism.
What is anti-racism?
When a young Black child reads Hands Up and sees the refrain "Hands Up" used in positive, joyful ways, not just in connection with police brutality and violence against Black bodies.
What is a mirror?
We Are Water Protectors used this symbol to describe + visualize oil pipelines.
What is a snake?
A historical event that led to increased Islamaphobia. This could be related to the poem "Are You the Good Kind of Muslim?" in Take the Mic.
What are the 9/11 attacks?
A book that would be great for showcasing various identities.
What is Take the Mic?
This term describes the way our social categories overlap to inform our subjectivity. For example, Malu is biracial, a girl, and a young person.
What is intersectionality?
The fact that many of our classmates connected with the idea of having a dual identity, or of being treated differently because they were a young person, when we read and discussed First Rule of Punk.
What is a mirror?
The parts of a book (or film, or any text really) that are outside of the primary narrative. For example, a glossary of terms at the end of This Book is Anti-Racist.
What is paratext?
A specific historical event that resulted in increased violence against Asian Americans, necessitating the #stopasianhate movement.
What is the COVID-19 pandemic? Or, media narratives surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
A book that would be great for discussing the intersections between race, sexuality, and/or economic class.
What is King and the Dragonflies?
Why King's parents assume they know what's best for him because they are adults.
What is aetonormativity?
When someone who is born a U.S. citizen reads Dreamers, following the main character as she experiences libraries for the first time.
What is a sliding glass door?
This book was used as evidence to challenge the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice.
What is Anti-Racist Baby?
Why it was really awful for the main character in "As You Were" to ask his girlfriend to homecoming in the way he did.
History of anti-Black police violence
A book that would be great for celebrating difference in terms of facial features.
What is Eyes That Kiss in the Corners?
Things that regulate (control, impact, shape) us, including our schools, medical facilities, insurance, families, religion, political parties, banks, airlines, police, justice system, etc.
What are institutions?
When someone who is Asian American reads American Born Chinese.
What is... it depends?!
This picture book used verse (think: poems) to construct its narrative.
What is the 1619 Project: Born in the Water?
This is important to know when reading King and the Dragonflies, because it informs the fear King's family has about the Sheriff.
What is Hurricane Katrina and/or the historic racism in New Orleans and/or police violence against Black folks?
A book that would be great for talking about liminal (in-between) identities—and maybe for doing a fun craft with readers.
What is First Rule of Punk?
Whether an author chooses to talk about hard stuff or chooses not to, their books are going to be influenced by this.
What is ideology? Or, what is subjectivity?
When we read This Book is Anti-Racist.
Window, mirror, AND sliding glass door.
This book described being different as both "special and regular."
What is The Proudest Blue?
While it may seem like book-banning is an individual, local effort, it's actually a coordinated attack. Who is behind this?
Bonus points if you can describe how this is functioning.
What are politicians?
A book that would be great for filling in educational holes in curriculum.
What is Born in the Water: The 1619 Project?