I’m currently hosting a Be the Bridge group and we decided to create a shared document where we could compile resources (books, websites, movies, podcasts, etc) around diversity, racism, racial reconciliation, as they relate to our nation’s history, current cultural moment, and more. As I was adding my recommendations to the list I realized that mine mainly included, what else, books. So I figured I’d share it here as well as much is what I’ve read in recent years around these topics. And I included picture books here along with adult ones because I’ve learned SO much about Black History Month, and more, through children’s literature. Note that this list is a work in progress and not comprehensive at all! I have pulled much inspired over the years from HereWeeRead and HappilyEverElephants and hope you check them out and their booklists as well. In the meantime, I hope you find something for yourself, or your family crew, to grow and deepen your understanding of race relations and the socio-political history of our country. I’d love to hear some of your favorites as well!

Non-fiction/Memoir

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness: Austin Channing Brown

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border: Francisco Cantú

All You Can Ever Know: Nicole Chung

Tell Me How it Ends: Valeria Luiselli

Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation: LaTasha Morrison

A $500 Dollar House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City: Drew Philp

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen: Jose Antonio Vargas

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, Clementine Wamariya

Fiction

Americanah: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chains/Forge/Ashes Trilogy, Laurie Halse Anderson

Elijah of Buxton, Christopher Paul Curtis

The Kitchen House: Kathleen Grissom

Glory Over Everything: Kathleen Grissom (sequel to The Kitchen House)

Homegoing: Yaa Gyasi

Someone Knows My Name: Laurence Hill

An American Marriage: Tayari Jones

America’s First Daughter: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

The Invention of Wings: Sue Monk Kidd

The Help: Kathryn Stockett

The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas

The Underground Railroad: Coleson Whitehead

Picture Books

Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream and You

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson

Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World

Hidden Figures

Mae Among the Stars

Our Legendary Ladies: Harriet Tubman

The Blacker the Berry (poetry)

Steamboat School

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness

Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom

The Story of Ruby Bridges

Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating

We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song

Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story of the Underground Railroad

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story about Edna Lewis

The Doctor With an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13

Confession: once I moved past middle school, I either found Valentine's Day unnecessarily stressful or just downright cheesy. And while I don't want to give in to the sugar/chocolate marketing hype, I do think it's a fun day to remind those closest to us that we love them and to teach our kids what love looks like. As a family we try to do surprise love notes throughout the month of February to each other (this has gotten fun as my older two can now write on their own but stickers work great for little hands too), send handmade cards to friends and grandparents, read books about love that goes beyond romantic love (love is servant-hearted, courageous, thoughtful, etc) and love on our community (we've surprised firefighters with donuts and make & pass out blessings bags for the homeless as February can tend to dip into single digit temps here). Anyway, it's not to add any pressure or stress on the parent, just fun ways to model various acts of love to the littles. Here's a fun round-up of some Valentine's Day picture books that we are enjoying this month!