Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You

Gr 4-8–In this adaptation of Reynolds and Kendi’s award-winning Stamped from the Beginning, Cherry-Paul uses a rope analogy to examine unjust racial hierarchy ideas and concepts. Throughout history, this rope has been used by the dominant culture to tie oppressed people to a corrupt ideology. It has also been used as a symbol of the power struggle between antiracist and racist thought patterns. This young readers edition assesses how the symbols and monuments of flawed heroes affect our country today. Kids who are just learning about the world around them will now have the tools to begin to understand the complicated path the United States took toward the racial inequity we see today. This version of Stamped features a time line and a glossary and, most important, includes kids in the fight to dismantle racism. The concepts of segregationist, assimilationist, and antiracist are simplified and presented in terms that tweens can understand. Cherry-Paul took the emotional development of children into account when crafting the narrative around the difficult nature of antiracist work. She effectively holds space for kids while supplying them with concepts they will need to be a part of an antiracist society.