The educators, students, and community activists whose stories are documented here are fighting for a transformative vision of what public schools can be, and the grassroots efforts we will need to get there. “Black Lives Matter at School” is an essential resource for all those seeking to build an antiracist school system.—Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning and #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
With a powerful foreword from Opal Tometi (co-founder of Black Lives Matter), Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice succinctly generalizes lessons from successful challenges to institutional racism that have been won through the Black Lives Matter at School movement.
Join the book editors and Brian Jones on Wednesday, December 2nd at 5:00pm Eastern for a live book release event—Register today!
This book will inspire educators to join the Black Lives Matter at School movement at a moment when antiracist work in education could not be more urgent.
Check out the new video trailer for the book and share it with an educator, parent, student, or community organizer who may be interested in joining the movement:
An amazing group of educators, students, writers, and organizers are contributing authors to Black Lives Matter at School:
Tamara Anderson, Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price, Wayne Au, Takiema Bunche-Smith, Erika Strauss Chavarria, Rosy Clark, Anthony Dandridge, Marshé Doss, Maria C. Fernandez, Brian Ford, Rosie Frascella, Laleña Garcia, Beth Glenn, Nathaniel Genene, Kiersten Greene, Angela Harris, Raquel James-Goodman, Jennifer Johnson, Brian Jones, Erika Jones, B. Kaiser, Makai Kellogg, Bettina L. Love, Dana Morrison, Cecily Myart-Cruz, Dermott Myrie, Israel Presley, Marynoel (Noel) Naa Lamiley Riby-Williams, Christopher Rogers, Kalani Rossman, and Jeff Stone.
Praise for Black Lives Matter at School:
“We need this book right now. The shadow-loving fungus of white supremacy won’t continue to send its spores to infect our children if we act now to bring the curative light of anti-racist knowledge, compassion, and justice into their lives. Built upon the Black Lives Matter at School organization’s Week of Action, this volume provides the adults in our educational institutions with inspiration, organizing principles, strategies, and examples to take ‘bold action against anti-Blackness.’ The authors – visionary educations of what is possible – call on all of us to radically reshape learning environments to make them safe, supportive, and transformative for all students (and teachers). Please read ASAP!” — Lisa Delpit, Executive Director of the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at Florida International University
“This book asserts that we are at a critical moment in time, where the racial uprisings underpin the absolute need to transform education and it’s foundational practices. Black Lives Matter is a movement sweeping the globe and affirms that our babies lives matter. It’s time for educators to be bold, standing up for our students and communities. Our students are looking to us to lead the fight against injustice and dismantle systemic racism as we aspire to realize the schools our students deserve.” — Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA President, NEA Black Caucus Chair
“This book makes the strong case for why we need to elevate Black lives and people in our curriculum and pedagogy year-round. This book serves as a blueprint to achieve this honorable goal.” — José Luis Vilson, author, This Is Not A Test, A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education
“Black Lives Matter at School centers the humanity of our children. It is a sharp rebuke of white supremacy—the very thing that interrupts the healthy development of Black youth. School communities must affirm Black lives. Educators have to dismantle systems of oppression—systems that we influence daily. We have to be radically different from the missionary educator depicted in popular culture. BLM at School is essential. Period.”— Stacy Davis Gates, Vice President, Chicago Teachers Union
“Toni Morrison reminds us: ‘If you can’t imagine it, you can’t have it.’ This book helps us to imagine Black Lives Mattering in schools. With accounts from teachers across the country doing the work, along with student interviews, poems, posters, and historical background, this is a primer for anti-racist educators to see the way forward in terms of reshaping school curriculum, diversifying teacher hiring, and transforming school discipline.” — Jeanne Theoharis, author, A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History
