Teaching Slavery through Children's Literature, Part 1 – w/ Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

<p>Children’s books are often the primary way <a href= "https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2019/lies-my-bookshelf-told-me-slavery-in-childrens-literature"> young students are exposed to the history of American slavery</a>. But many books about slavery sugarcoat oppression. Professor Ebony Elizabeth Thomas examines what we should consider when it comes to how children’s books portray African Americans and Indigenous people, their cultures and the effects of enslavement. She also explains why it’s crucial to create “a balance of narratives” <a href= "https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2019/toolkit-for-lies-my-bookshelf-told-me-slavery-in-childrens-literature"> when selecting books about marginalized and underrepresented communities</a>.</p> <h2>Resources and Readings</h2> <ul> <li>Teaching Tolerance, "<a title= "Lies My Bookshelf Told Me: Slavery in Children’s Literature" href= "https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2019/lies-my-bookshelf-told-me-slavery-in-childrens-literature" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lies My Bookshelf Told Me</a>"</li> <li>Teaching Tolerance, "<a title="Hercules’ Daughter" href= "https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/texts/hercules-daughter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hercules’ Daughter</a>"</li> <li>Rethinking Schools, <a href= "https://www.rethinkingschools.org/books/title/teaching-for-black-lives" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Teaching for Black Lives</em></a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Ebony Elizabeth Thomas</strong></p> <ul> <li>University of Pennsylvania, <a href= "https://scholar.gse.upenn.edu/thomas" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow">Literacy, Culture, and International Education</a></li> <li>Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/Ebonyteach" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@Ebonyteach</a></li> <li><em><a href= "https://nyupress.org/9781479800650/the-dark-fantastic/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games</a></em></li> </ul> <p>References:</