Educator Book Club

Facilitated by: Dawnavyn M. James

Time: All sessions will be held at 11 a.m. ET by Zoom.

Abstract: This historical fiction, told in verse, is about 11-year-old Kofi in the Asante Kingdom of Africa. Kofi’s life is guided by his grandfather's wisdom and his love for swimming. He soon discovers why he is told not to swim at night and is forced into a journey that changes the course of his childhood.

Facilitated by: Richard Williams

Time: All sessions will be held at 11 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. ET by Zoom.

Abstract: Black education was a subversive act from its inception. African Americans pursued education through clandestine means, often in defiance of law and custom, even under threat of violence. They developed what Jarvis Givens calls a tradition of “fugitive pedagogy”—a theory and practice of Black education in America. The enslaved learned to read in spite of widespread prohibitions; newly emancipated people braved the dangers of integrating all-White schools and the hardships of building Black schools. Teachers developed covert instructional strategies, creative responses to the persistence of White opposition. From slavery through the Jim Crow era, Black people passed down this educational heritage.

Facilitated by: Daphanie Bibbs

Time: All sessions will be held at 11 a.m. ET by Zoom.

Abstract: Monique W. Morris chronicles the experiences of Black girls across the country whose complex lives are misunderstood, highly judged—by teachers, administrators, and the justice system—and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. Painting “a chilling picture of the plight of black girls and women today” (The Atlantic), Morris exposes a world of confined potential and supports the rising movement to challenge the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures.

Facilitated by: Dawnavyn James

Time: All sessions will be held at 12:30 p.m. ET by Zoom.

Abstract:  Dawnavyn James believes Black history shouldn't be relegated to the month of February. In her groundbreaking book, "Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, and All Year Long, K-3," she provides a practical guide for elementary educators who seek to teach history in truthful and meaningful ways that help young students understand the past, the present, and the world around them.

Drawing on her experiences as a classroom teacher and a Black history researcher, James illustrates the big and small ways that we can center Black history in our everyday teaching and learning practices across the curriculum using read-alouds, music, historical documents, art, and so much more.