In the wake of violence against African Americans and in a moment of national reckoning in Summer 2020, the Jane Addams Peace Association put together a reading and resource list that can be used to inspire and spark conversations amongst students, parents, and educators about racial justice, racial equity, and anti-racism.
The Jane Addams Peace Association deeply honors and supports the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. Our vision of “a future where people actively work to dismantle injustices and build a more peaceful, equitable world” is unfolding today! The work will be ongoing. Below find the voices of educators, authors, and activists of color from whom we can listen and learn regarding children’s literature.
Anti-Racist Reading List
The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award 2023 Winners and Honor Books!
Recipients of the 2023 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards were announced on January 13, 2023 by the Jane Addams Peace Association:
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement, written by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing, is the winner in the Books for Younger Children category.
Undercover Latina, written by Aya De León, and published by Candlewick Press, is the winner in the Books for Older Children category.
In addition, two Honor Books were named in the Books for Younger Children category:
Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth: Educator, Feminist, and Anti-Lynching Civil Rights Leader, written by Michelle Duster, illustrated by Laura Freeman, and published by Godwin Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company.
Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie’s Place, the Nation’s First Shelter for Women, written by Christine McDonell, illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov, and published by Candlewick Press.
Two Honor Books were also named in the Books for Older Children category:
Yonder, written by Ali Standish, and published by HarperCollins an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Swim Team, written and illustrated by Johnnie Christmas, published by Harper Alley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
The 2023 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards ceremony will be held on April 25th at the Winter Garden of the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago, Illinois. This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, so we are delighted we will be celebrating in person! Details about the award event, and securing winner and honor book seals, are available from the Jane Addams Peace Association at info@janeaddamspeace.org.
Community Highlight
EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore
6951 Olive Blvd, University City, MO 63130
EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore was created in order to help bridge the cultural divide, so that African American children can benefit from exposure to literature that respectfully mirrors themselves, their culture and their families. EyeSeeMe, is the only children’s bookstore in Missouri devoted exclusively to promoting positive African American Images and African American History while advocating for Academic Excellence. EyeSeeMe carries thousands of African American and Multi-Cultural Children’s Books at their store in University City, Missouri and through their website. They spend countless hours researching all the major publishers and distributors, looking for the very best books that further their mission, with books ranging from Baby/Toddler to High School.
Visit Their Website: https://www.eyeseeme.com/
Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature & Culture Museum
30 Suite A St. George St., St. Augustine, FL 32084
Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature & Culture Museum and its associated business, BBRT, is a non-profit Independent, Veteran, and Woman-owned museum, bookstore, and gift shop in St. Augustine, Florida. Their museum provides both youth and adults with educational artifacts and information on African Diaspora literary and cultural history. Not only do they feature rare and antiquarian books written by writers of African Descent, but they also provide exceptional used, rare and new books, high-quality African Diaspora and Gullah Geechee gift items, and reliable service to all customers and visitors.
Visit Their Website: https://www.bradlcmuseum.com/
Apply for our Books in Their Hands program today!
The Jane Addams Peace Association’s mission is to deepen understanding of peace and justice for children and their adults through reflection, dialogue, and social action.
Through our Books in Their Hands program, we bring authors and illustrators to low-income schools nationally to share their Jane Addams award-winning books and to speak directly with the students and teachers in the community. We also donate Jane Addams Children’s Book Award commended titles into the hands of children.
In the past, we have gone to schools in Chicago (IL), Fresno (CA), Brooklyn (NY) and Newark (NJ). Now we are ready to expand our hands to you! If you are a part of a Title 1/low-income school you can apply for the Book in Their Hands program now.
Apply Now!
Support Our Work
The Jane Addams Peace Association perpetuates the spirit of activist and pacifist Jane Addams, her love for children and humanity, her commitment to freedom and democracy, and her devotion to the cause of world peace.
Your donation to the Jane Addams Peace Association, a 501(c)(3) organization, is tax-deductible and helps us support authors, illustrators, parents, teachers, and librarians deepen understanding of peace and justice for children and their adults through reflection, dialogue, and social action.