People’s Historians As we celebrate Howard Zinn's centennial, we highlight people’s historians from long before and after the publication of A People's History of the United States to help place Zinn's work on a long and ongoing continuum. Continue reading
Howard Zinn on Prison Abolition Article. By Howard Zinn. Haymarket Books. 1974 Essay by Howard Zinn on prison abolition from Justice in Everyday Life: The Way It Really Works. Continue reading
Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote Picture book. By Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Charly Palmer. 2022. 64 pages. This critical civil rights book for middle-graders examines the little-known Tennessee's Fayette County Tent City Movement in the late 1950s and reveals what is possible when people unite and fight for the right to vote. Continue reading
Race Against Time: The Untold Story of Scipio Jones and the Battle to Save Twelve Innocent Men Book — Non-fiction. By Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace. 2021. 144 pages. Scipio Africanus Jones — a self-taught attorney who was born enslaved — leads a momentous series of court cases to save twelve Black men who'd been unjustly sentenced to death. Continue reading
Running Book — Fiction. By Natalia Sylvester. 2020. 328 pages. A story that celebrates young people who find themselves as they come to political consciousness and commitment. Continue reading
Black Was the Ink Book — Fiction. By Michelle Coles. Illustrations by Justin Johnson. 2021. 368 pages. A powerful coming-of-age story and an eye-opening exploration of the Reconstruction era. Continue reading
Paradise on Fire Book — Fiction. By Jewell Parker Rhodes. 2023 paperback release. 256 pages. A powerful coming-of-age survival tale exploring issues of race, class, and climate change. Continue reading
No Planet B: A Teen Vogue Guide to the Climate Crisis Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Lucy Diavolo. 2021. 224 pages. A small volume made up of short student-friendly readings that offer lots of teaching possibilities. Continue reading
The Mystery Woman in Room Three Book — Fiction. By Aya de León. Serialized in six parts at Orion Magazine. 2021. A young adult novel that deals with immigration rights, climate justice, the Green New Deal, and youth activism. Available for free download at Orion Magazine. Continue reading
Social Studies for a Better World: An Anti-Oppressive Approach for Elementary Educators Book — Non-fiction. By Noreen Naseem Rodriguez & Katy Swalwell. 2021. 256 pages. This book is full of social justice teaching methods and materials for elementary educators. Continue reading
Make Good the Promises: Reclaiming Reconstruction and Its Legacies Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo. 2021. 224 pages. Essays on the history and legacy of Reconstruction, a companion to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture exhibit. Continue reading
LGBTQ+ History in High School Classes in the United States Since 1990 Book — Non-fiction. By Stacie Brensilver Berman. 2021. 296 pages. Based on interviews with high school teachers about integrating LGBTQ+ history in their classes, this book offers the first detailed portrait of educators and activists championing a more inclusive and accurate vision of U.S. history. Continue reading
Mighty Justice (Young Readers’ Edition): The Untold Story of Civil Rights Trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree Book — Non-fiction. By Katie McCabe and Jabari Asim. 2020. 208 pages. A young readers' adaptation of Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights, the memoir of activist lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree. Continue reading
Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America Book — Non-fiction. By Keisha N. Blain. 2021. 200 pages. A riveting account of the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, highlighting the relevance of her activism on the politics of today. Continue reading
Mexican American Civil Rights in Texas Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Brischetto and Avena. 2021. 408 pages. This book is an examination of the social change of Mexican Americans of Texas over the past half century. Continue reading
Teaching White Supremacy: America’s Democratic Ordeal and the Forging of Our National Identity Book — Non-fiction. By Donald Yacovone. 2022. 464 pages. This book details the battle over historical memory in public schools and how the white elite has devoted extraordinary resources to perpetuating racist ideas in each generation through K-12 curriculum. Continue reading
Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Book — Non-fiction. By Brandy Colbert. 2021. 216 pages. History of Oklahoma including Trail of Tears, Reconstruction, Black towns, Red Summer, Jim Crow, Black and white newspapers, lynchings, Tulsa Race Massacre, and the ongoing fight for reparations and historical memory. Continue reading
Challenge Islamophobia Lessons and resources to place Islamophobia firmly within a U.S. context and shared cultural history. Continue reading
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Hip-Hop History Book — Non-fiction. By Jeff Chang and Davey D Cook. 2021. 352 pages. An essential guide for understanding hip-hop music and culture. Continue reading
Lives in Our Lineage: A Lesson on Oral Histories Teaching Activity. By Cierra Kaler-Jones. In this lesson, students use key excerpts from How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith as inspiration for a project where they tell their and their loved ones’ stories. Continue reading
Teaching A People’s History of the March on Washington Teaching Activity. By Jessica Lovaas and Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools. 2021. Updated in 2023. A lesson with case studies from Los Angeles; Birmingham, Alabama; Brooklyn; Detroit; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Albany, Georgia; and Cambridge, Maryland — to introduce students to the diverse struggles across the United States that were represented at the March on Washington. Continue reading
How We Remember: The Struggle Over Slavery in Public Spaces Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow, Jesse Hagopian, Cierra Kaler-Jones, Ana Rosado, and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. Students read about sites of memory in How the Word Is Passed and imagine how to commemorate what occurred there. They then compare that to how the respective site is currently commemorated and described by docents. Continue reading
Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching Book — Non-fiction. By Jarvis R. Givens. 2021. 320 pages. Details the long assault on Black education that occurred from the period of enslavement through the life of one of the founders of the Black studies tradition, Carter G. Woodson. Continue reading
The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World Book — Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. 2021. A book about the politics of sport, and the impact of sports on politics, reveals that essential dimension of the new movement for racial justice in the United States. Continue reading
Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People Book — Non-Fiction. By Kekla Magoon. 2021. An account of militant revolutionaries and human rights advocates working to defend and protect their community. Continue reading
People’s Historians As we celebrate Howard Zinn's centennial, we highlight people’s historians from long before and after the publication of A People's History of the United States to help place Zinn's work on a long and ongoing continuum. Continue reading
Howard Zinn on Prison Abolition Article. By Howard Zinn. Haymarket Books. 1974 Essay by Howard Zinn on prison abolition from Justice in Everyday Life: The Way It Really Works. Continue reading
Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote Picture book. By Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Charly Palmer. 2022. 64 pages. This critical civil rights book for middle-graders examines the little-known Tennessee's Fayette County Tent City Movement in the late 1950s and reveals what is possible when people unite and fight for the right to vote. Continue reading
Race Against Time: The Untold Story of Scipio Jones and the Battle to Save Twelve Innocent Men Book — Non-fiction. By Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace. 2021. 144 pages. Scipio Africanus Jones — a self-taught attorney who was born enslaved — leads a momentous series of court cases to save twelve Black men who'd been unjustly sentenced to death. Continue reading
Running Book — Fiction. By Natalia Sylvester. 2020. 328 pages. A story that celebrates young people who find themselves as they come to political consciousness and commitment. Continue reading
Black Was the Ink Book — Fiction. By Michelle Coles. Illustrations by Justin Johnson. 2021. 368 pages. A powerful coming-of-age story and an eye-opening exploration of the Reconstruction era. Continue reading
Paradise on Fire Book — Fiction. By Jewell Parker Rhodes. 2023 paperback release. 256 pages. A powerful coming-of-age survival tale exploring issues of race, class, and climate change. Continue reading
No Planet B: A Teen Vogue Guide to the Climate Crisis Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Lucy Diavolo. 2021. 224 pages. A small volume made up of short student-friendly readings that offer lots of teaching possibilities. Continue reading
The Mystery Woman in Room Three Book — Fiction. By Aya de León. Serialized in six parts at Orion Magazine. 2021. A young adult novel that deals with immigration rights, climate justice, the Green New Deal, and youth activism. Available for free download at Orion Magazine. Continue reading
Social Studies for a Better World: An Anti-Oppressive Approach for Elementary Educators Book — Non-fiction. By Noreen Naseem Rodriguez & Katy Swalwell. 2021. 256 pages. This book is full of social justice teaching methods and materials for elementary educators. Continue reading
Make Good the Promises: Reclaiming Reconstruction and Its Legacies Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo. 2021. 224 pages. Essays on the history and legacy of Reconstruction, a companion to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture exhibit. Continue reading
LGBTQ+ History in High School Classes in the United States Since 1990 Book — Non-fiction. By Stacie Brensilver Berman. 2021. 296 pages. Based on interviews with high school teachers about integrating LGBTQ+ history in their classes, this book offers the first detailed portrait of educators and activists championing a more inclusive and accurate vision of U.S. history. Continue reading
Mighty Justice (Young Readers’ Edition): The Untold Story of Civil Rights Trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree Book — Non-fiction. By Katie McCabe and Jabari Asim. 2020. 208 pages. A young readers' adaptation of Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights, the memoir of activist lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree. Continue reading
Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America Book — Non-fiction. By Keisha N. Blain. 2021. 200 pages. A riveting account of the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, highlighting the relevance of her activism on the politics of today. Continue reading
Mexican American Civil Rights in Texas Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Brischetto and Avena. 2021. 408 pages. This book is an examination of the social change of Mexican Americans of Texas over the past half century. Continue reading
Teaching White Supremacy: America’s Democratic Ordeal and the Forging of Our National Identity Book — Non-fiction. By Donald Yacovone. 2022. 464 pages. This book details the battle over historical memory in public schools and how the white elite has devoted extraordinary resources to perpetuating racist ideas in each generation through K-12 curriculum. Continue reading
Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Book — Non-fiction. By Brandy Colbert. 2021. 216 pages. History of Oklahoma including Trail of Tears, Reconstruction, Black towns, Red Summer, Jim Crow, Black and white newspapers, lynchings, Tulsa Race Massacre, and the ongoing fight for reparations and historical memory. Continue reading
Challenge Islamophobia Lessons and resources to place Islamophobia firmly within a U.S. context and shared cultural history. Continue reading
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Hip-Hop History Book — Non-fiction. By Jeff Chang and Davey D Cook. 2021. 352 pages. An essential guide for understanding hip-hop music and culture. Continue reading
Lives in Our Lineage: A Lesson on Oral Histories Teaching Activity. By Cierra Kaler-Jones. In this lesson, students use key excerpts from How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith as inspiration for a project where they tell their and their loved ones’ stories. Continue reading
Teaching A People’s History of the March on Washington Teaching Activity. By Jessica Lovaas and Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools. 2021. Updated in 2023. A lesson with case studies from Los Angeles; Birmingham, Alabama; Brooklyn; Detroit; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Albany, Georgia; and Cambridge, Maryland — to introduce students to the diverse struggles across the United States that were represented at the March on Washington. Continue reading
How We Remember: The Struggle Over Slavery in Public Spaces Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow, Jesse Hagopian, Cierra Kaler-Jones, Ana Rosado, and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. Students read about sites of memory in How the Word Is Passed and imagine how to commemorate what occurred there. They then compare that to how the respective site is currently commemorated and described by docents. Continue reading
Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching Book — Non-fiction. By Jarvis R. Givens. 2021. 320 pages. Details the long assault on Black education that occurred from the period of enslavement through the life of one of the founders of the Black studies tradition, Carter G. Woodson. Continue reading
The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World Book — Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. 2021. A book about the politics of sport, and the impact of sports on politics, reveals that essential dimension of the new movement for racial justice in the United States. Continue reading
Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People Book — Non-Fiction. By Kekla Magoon. 2021. An account of militant revolutionaries and human rights advocates working to defend and protect their community. Continue reading
