“You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught!”
You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shade,
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
I recently listened to a webcast on The Brown Bookshelf website. The webcast was titled KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives. It brought together children’s literature authors to talk about racism. The first part of the webcast spoke to children and the second part spoke to parents and educators. Some of the speakers offered perspectives and suggestions, some sang songs and read poetry. One of the presenters, Vanessa Brentley-Newton, sang the above song. The words of this song, written for the musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein, certainly ring true today. We are always teaching our children. What are we teaching them and what can parents do to help change the narrative?
One of the webcast speakers was award winning author Jacqueline Woodson. She offered these suggestions:
- Be kind.
- Don’t judge on appearance.
- Be anti-racist by speaking out when someone is being racist.
Picture Books from the Virtual Branch
The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson – African-American football player Chuck Ealey grew up in a segregated neighborhood of Portsmouth, Ohio. Against all odds, he became an incredible quarterback. But despite his unbeaten record in high school and university, he would never play professional football in the United States.
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey – Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family's new car! In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that black travelers weren't treated very well in some towns…
Ruth's story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact.
The Woolworth’s Sit-In by Rachel Tisdale – The 1950s and 1960s were a tumultuous time for African Americans as they fought for equality. Sit-ins, a peaceful tactic that displayed patience and determination, were met with incredible hostility. This book takes an unflinching look at the incredible struggles and successes of those who fought these battles to secure their own civil rights.
All the Colors We Are/Todos Los Colores De Nuestra Piel by Katie Kissinger – Colorful photographs and engaging English/Spanish text showcase the beautiful diversity of skin color. This twentieth anniversary edition offers young children a simple, scientifically accurate explanation for how we get our skin color. Understanding melanin frees children from myths and stereotypes and helps celebrate one of the ways we are special and different from one another—our skin color.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes – Celebrate the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair. This book is available in both the virtual and physical library.
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman – Celebrate diversity and inclusion with this New York Times bestselling picture book about a school where all are welcome! This book is available in both the virtual and physical library.
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander – Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal; and 2020 Newbery Honor Book Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, the Newbery Award-winning author of The Crossover pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree. Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. This book is available in both the virtual and physical library.
I Am Jackie Robinson by Brad Meltzer – This New York Times Bestselling picture book biography by Brad Meltzer has an inspiring message: We can all be heroes. Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. But he lived at a time before the Civil Rights Movement, when the rules weren't fair to African Americans. Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became the first black player in Major League Baseball, and his bravery changed African-American history and led the way to equality in all sports in America.
Picture Books Available in the Physical Library
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester – "This gorgeous book--great to read with kids of any age--allows for open-ended conversation and questions." (Brightly.com)
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, J. Brian Pinkney, ill. – This picture book is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson – Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together.
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman – Although a classmate says that she cannot play Peter Pan in the school play because she is black, Grace discovers that she can do anything she sets her mind to do.
More More More Said the Baby – 3 Love Stories by Vera B. Williams – Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving attention by a father, grandmother, and a mother.
Desmond and the Very Mean Word: A Story of Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu – While riding his new bicycle, Desmond is hurt by the mean word yelled at him by a group of boys, but he soon learns that hurting back will not make him feel any better.
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker – "You've likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 [mission]. But do you know about the mathematical genius who made sure that Apollo 13 returned safely home? As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math and the universe. From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the story of a groundbreaking American woman who not only calculated the course of moon landings but, in turn, saved lives and made enormous contributions to history." -- Adapted from book jacket.
Lovely by Jess Hong – "Big, small, curly, straight, loud, quiet, smooth, wrinkly. Lovely explores a world of differences that all add up to the same thing: we are all lovely!"-- Provided by publisher.
Books for Tweens/Teens in the Virtual Branch
Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly – The uplifting, amazing true story—a New York Times bestseller, this edition of Margot Lee Shetterly's acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It is the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – “New York Times bestseller and National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Another Brooklyn, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights Movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world…” - The New York Times Book Review
The Story of the Little Rock Nine and School Desegregation in Photographs by David Aretha – In September 1957, nine brave African-American students attempted to do something that had not been done in the segregated South, integrate a public school. Until 1957, black students could not attend school with white students, and black schools were often inferior to white schools. However, in the face of hatred, protest, and violence, these courageous students, who came to be known as the Little Rock Nine, led the charge for change. Through riveting primary source photographs, author David Aretha examines this critical time in the Civil Rights Movement.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia – In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined. This book is available in our virtual and physical library.
Books for Tweens/Teens in the Physical Library
Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper – When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes – A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes. This books is available in our virtual and physical library. For ages 10+.
As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds – "When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires--literally"-- Provided by publisher.
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone – "For the life of him, William "Scoob" Lamar can't seem to stay out of trouble--and now the run-ins at school have led to lockdown at home. So when G'ma, Scoob's favorite person on Earth, asks him to go on an impromptu road trip, he's in the RV faster than he can say FREEDOM. With G'ma's old maps and a strange pamphlet called the 'Travelers' Green Book' at their side, the pair takes off on a journey down G'ma's memory lane. But adventure quickly turns to uncertainty: G'ma keeps changing the license plate, dodging Scoob's questions, and refusing to check Dad's voice mails. And the farther they go, the more Scoob realizes that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--G'ma included."--Jacket flap. This book is available in our virtual and physical library.
- by Connie, Hopewell Branch
Notes
Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola. “KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives: Anti-Racist Resources for Children, Families, and Educators.” The Brown Bookshelf, 6 June 2020, thebrownbookshelf.com/2020/06/04/kidlit-rally-4-black-lives-anti-racist-resources-for-children-families-and-educators/."You've Got to Be Carefully Taught Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2020. Web. 9 Jun 2020. https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/14763351/John+Pizzarelli.
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