Resources
​Social justice work has a rich history of brave, bright, and creative leaders. People come to this work on many onramps and with a wide variety of personal experiences. Our resource list highlights the work of several social justice organizations all of whom have their own deep list of resources, books by Black and historically marginalized authors, and local organizations to volunteer and connect with. This list is not complete, will continue to grow, and is mostly curated for our Ladera Ranch community. If you have other suggestions please reach out at  lrsjcommittee@gmail.com and we will add them to the list. 

Organizations/Websites:

• Teaching Tolerance- https://www.tolerance.org/
• dRworks- https://www.dismantlingracism.org/
• Southern Poverty Law Center- https://www.splcenter.org/
• Race forward- https://www.raceforward.org/
• The National Equity Project- https://nationalequityproject.org/

Ted Talks/Videos/Movies:

• Ted Talks
  • Clint Smith- How to Raise a Black Son in America
  • Ibram X. Kendi- The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist
  • Rashad Robinson- How to channel your presence and energy into ending injustice
  • Kimberle Crenshaw- The urgency of intersectionality
  • Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King, Anthony D. Romero- The path to ending systemic racism in the US
  • David R. Williams- How racism makes us sick
  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- The danger of a single story
  • Bryan Stevenson- We need to talk about an injustice
  • Verna Myers- How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them
  • Damon Davis- Courage is contagious
  • The Root- Juneteenth is finally entering mainstream America​
• Movies for school age children
  • Queen of Katwe
  • Hidden Figures
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
  • Ruby Bridges
  • Akeelah and the Bee
  • Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History
  • Remember the Titans
  • The Namesake
  • Becoming- Michelle Obama
• Movies for older children
  • The Secret Life of Bees
  • Loving
  • Pariah
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • Freedom Riders
• Movies for Adults and Mature Teens
  • 13th
  • Blindspotting
  • When They See Us
  • Dear White People
  • Malcolm X
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • The Hate U Give
  • Let it Fall

Podcasts:

• Code Switch
• The Diversity Gap 
• 1619
• Voicing Race​​

​Black Authors to support, this list was created by Ladera author Shereen Rahming:
Mikki Kendall
Kiley Reid
Jasmine Guillory
Mia Sosa
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Colson Whitehead
Jacqueline Woodson
Glory Edim
Christopher Paul Curtis
Tayari Jones
Roxanne Gay
Brit Bennett
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Jason Reynolds
Jessica Care Moore
Tonya Bolden
Echo Brown
Angie Thomas
Lisa Moore Ramee
Brandy Colbert
Nikki Grimes
Marlon James
Trish Cooke
Derrick Barnes
Mahogany L. Browne
Lesli Mitchell
Crystal Swain Bates
Alecia R Heffner
Shereen Rahming

Other important Black authors to read:
Alice Walker
Toni Morrison
Maya Angelou
Jacqueline Woodson
James Baldwin
Zora Neale Hurston
Alex Haley
Austin Channing Brown

Oprah’s 43 Best Books by Black Authors link

Honoring Black Lives Library link

Articles:
The Case for Reparations- The Atlantic- Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Nationalist’s Delusion- The Atlantic- Adam Serwer
1619 Project- New York Times
White Backlash is nothing new
The Great Land Robbery
Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys
How Slavery Made the Modern World
Website Planet list of black-owned businesses (not verified by LRSJC)
​

In December 2016, the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee began hosting multicultural children's book discussions at our local library.  At each of these events, we read a children's book related to diversity, identity or social justice, and do hands-on activities with children aged 3-12.  We also create curriculum and activity guides to support teachers and families in using children's books to teach important concepts related to literacy, identity, and creating a more inclusive school and community.  

• Back to School Tips: Fall 2017 (August 2017)
• Lesson plan and activity guide for Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes' "Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey (April 2017)
• Using Children's Literature to do Racial Justice Work with Children and Families (Toolkit for Community Members, February 2017)
• Lesson plan and activity guide for David Shannon's "A Bad Case of Stripes" (December 2016)

There are also many outside resources that can help parents and teachers talk about social and racial justice in schools and communities.   Here are some of the ones we find most useful: 

• NEW! Resources for teaching in the wake of Charlottesville.  In August 2017, White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesting the planned removal of a monument of Robert E. Lee, a confederate general.  In the days that followed, the media was flooded with images of torch-carrying protesters, violent clashes with counter-protesters, and signs featuring hate symbols and slogans.  Children see and hear these images, and need our help understanding and thinking critically about hate speech, free speech, and manifestations of racism in U.S. history and contemporary society.  For a clearinghouse of age-appropriate, standards-aligned lesson plans and tips for facilitating classroom conversation about racism and White supremacy, check out these resources from the National Council of Teachers of English.
  
  
• Teaching Tolerance is an excellent resource for lesson plans and curricular materials related to social justice and civil rights (including racial justice, gender equity, LGBT civil rights, and religious liberty).  They also have resources for teaching about the 2016 election, promoting civic engagement and civil discourse, and responding to everyday prejudice, bias and stereotypes. Among their many programs is the Mix it Up at Lunch Day, which is an example of how schools can help children build friendships outside of their daily social group.
• Teaching for Change features books, articles, and other resources related to multicultural education and teaching for social justice.  We especially like their guide for evaluating multicultural and anti-bias children’s books, tips for teaching young children about race, and their toolkit for using children’s literature to teach about activist movements within and beyond the United States.  In addition to being aligned to academic standards, the toolkit includes tips for talking to children, parents, and administrators about anti-bias education and school climate (especially post-election).
• The National Association for Multicultural Education hosts an annual conference for educators, as well as case studies and research to support teachers in implementing multicultural education in the classroom.   Local parents and teachers may be especially interested in their resources regarding the relevance of multicultural education in predominantly white schools . 
• The National Education Association maintains a list of lesson plans and other resources related to contemporary issues of discrimination and bias in schools.  Current topics include resources for teaching about bullying, religious diversity and immigration.
• The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) features research and resources related to school climate, lesson plans related to bullying and bias, and tools to support educators in ensuring schools are safe spaces for all students, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
• The Early Childhood Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English features a comprehensive collection of resources to support parents and families in talking about race with young children.

If you have other resources you find helpful, please email us!  We’d love to include your suggestions on this list.