Betty Before X
Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement. You can also check out this title as eAudio on Hoopla
Through stories that illustrate African American history, biography and culture, teens in grades 6-12 can learn about people and events in an exciting way. Titles like these can offer entertaining and clever stories while fostering positive messages.
Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement. You can also check out this title as eAudio on Hoopla
With the Rodney King riots closing in on high school senior Ashley and her family, the privileged bubble she has enjoyed, protecting her from the difficult realities most black people face, begins to crumble. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
Teen Justyce McAllister struggles with trying to live life through the lens of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s teachings, writings and philosophy and grapples with Dr. King’s stand on race relations and his 21st century existence. You can also check out this title as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.
Jason Reynolds shares this letter-poem, written several years ago, in the hope that it will encourage readers to continue reaching for their own dreams. You can also check out this title as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.
Discovering a book of Langston Hughes’ poetry in the library helps Langston cope with the loss of his mother, relocating from Alabama to Chicago as part of the Great Migration, and being bullied. You can also check out this title as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby, as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on Hoopla.
An illustrated memoir about artist Ashley Bryan’s experience as a black soldier in the segregated army of World War II. You can also check out this title as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.
Delves deep into the broken U.S. justice system, detailing from the author’s personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America’s most rejected and marginalized people. You can also check out this title as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.
Three Brooklyn teens plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he’s still alive. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on Hoopla or as eBook on Hoopla.
Loretta, Roly and Aggie B. Little relate their Mississippi family’s struggles and triumphs from 1927 to 1968 while struggling as sharecroppers, living under Jim Crow and fighting for Civil Rights.
A member of the Little Rock Nine shares her memories of growing up in the South under Jim Crow. You can also check out this title as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on Hoopla.
In her New York Times bestseller “White Rage,” Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded Black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With “One Person, No Vote,” she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.
A guide to the history of the Black Panther Party.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook or eAudiobook on OverDrive/Libby.
A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.