The Story Spectator: Women's History Month

Showing posts with label Women's History Month. Show all posts

Sunday, January 23, 2022

Revolution in Our Time: the Black Panthers' rise, fall & legacy today

Kekla Magoon's young adult, nonfiction book, Revolution in Our Time, about the history of the Black Panthers, their enduring struggle for progress in their lifetimes and the recurring themes in the modern-day American society is a poignant informational book that benefits everyone who reads it.

The Black Panther Party played a large role in pushing back against racist policies in communities, however, the media portrayal focused on the sensational aspects rather than the multi-faceted parts of the movement that actually helped communities. This is where Magoon's book comes in to set the record straight on how women and children were the focus in order to provide for their basic needs while in poverty.

The book starts out when in 1967 a group of Black Panthers walked onto the floor of the California State Legislature to express their position on Black people being able to defend themselves against unlawful attacks. How did this group form and come to this pivotable moment when they were splashed in headlines all around the country? Magoon then takes the reader back to 1619 until 1965 and summarizes how Black people have endured inhumane treatment up until 1965. She explains the group's formation in 1966 during the Civil Rights Movement and how they grew in numbers all while being targeted by law enforcement and the FBI. Magoon finishes the book by going full circle to when the group disbanded in 1982 until the present day struggles for the same protection under the law that was the cornerstone of their platform from their formation.

It reminded me a lot of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You and You Call This Democracy?, both written with a young adult audience in mind. Our youth deserve to know the historical events that have led our country to the state it is in and how they can help improve their world by not repeating mistakes of the past and recognizing what has worked before. This is an excellent book for teens and adults to read together and use it study the figures and events on their own. Full of photographs, quotes, and a storytelling technique that will leave a lasting impression in the mind and heart of the reader, this should be shared and discussed by all who care about Black people.

Click HERE for my book review of this book.

HERE is a short video of Kekla Magoon discussing her book.

If you have middle grade readers (ages 8 - 14) who'd like to learn more about The Black Panthers I'd recommend Rita Garcia-Williams' award winning trilogy:

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Prairie Lotus: a Chinese-American perspective

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park is a historical fiction novel perfect for 3rd graders and up.

This story is told through the 14 year-old character, Hannah. She has been traveling on a wagon with her father for the last three years, after her mother's death. They are on the emerging trails from California, moving eastward towards the Dakota Territory. The white townsfolk are prejudice towards Hannah because she is half-Chinese and half-white. Although she has never been to school, Hannah excels in her studies and makes a few friends. Despite her success in school, she is unsure of her future in such a racist community. Thankfully, her talents for sewing and dress-making offer a hopeful venture that will allow her to be an independent and respected person in the community. Will the townspeople get over their suspicions and accept Hannah and her father?

Park explores many topics that are important for the discussion of U.S. History: immigration, the treatment of Indigenous people, racism, settling into towns, early education, gender roles, and a different view of "Westward Expansion" than is presented in textbooks and other children's stories. As a teacher and librarian, this book is ideal for exploring how Indigenous people were treated, along with immigrants. Women's gender roles are also a good topic that are shown in this story. In what ways does Hannah fulfill her duties and how does she challenge what society dictates as her place in the world?

Here is an audiobook sample to listen to and share with readers.

Monday, March 8, 2021

Women's History Month: 18 picture book biographies

March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day, so there is no better time to share books about important women from the past and present who have taken a stand against injustice, unfairness, inequality, and stereotypes.

The books listed below offer rich discussions with students and can lead to local and immediate projects close to the heart of those listening to these stories:

Because Claudette by Traci Baptiste and Tonya Engel