As an educator, being able to present current book titles to tie into classroom work is always exciting and fruitful for students. Using Christina Hammonds Reed’s book The Black Kids as a jumping off point to dive deeper into the history of race riots, protest movements and the unjust treatment of Black people in America might help to engage students more in classroom discussion.

Book Summary

The Black Kids  is a historical fiction work set during the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. The story is told from Ashley’s point of view. She is from a well-to-do family, attends a private school, and spends her time hanging out with white friends and her nanny, who is an extension of her family. Seniors in high school, Ashley and her friends like to discuss prom, dating, and college. The school Ashley attends is not very diverse, and the group of 12 Black students that do attend her school is not a group she ever hangs out with. 

Ashley tries to navigate the relationship she has with her parents, older sister, and her friends while also trying to understand what it means to be a young Black woman in mostly white spaces. She attempts to make sense of the rising tensions in her neighborhood the day four LAPD officers are found not guilty of the savage beating of Rodney King. Her older sister joins the protests, and her uncle tries to defend the family store against the looting and rioting happening in the community.

This text explores history that can help students in learning and researching not only the Los Angeles riots, but dive deeper into other racial uprisings that have happened in this country such as the 1921 Tulsa massacre, the Harlem riot of 1964, the 1965 Watts riots, the protests in Cincinnati in 2001, unrest in Ferguson and leading right to the protests and riots after the brutal police killing of George Floyd. Reed also touches upon the murder of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins during the the L.A. riots, as well as the Second Great Migration, where more than 5 million African Americans migrated from the South to the Northeast, Midwest and West. 

Introducing The Black Kids to students may help spark exploration and research. To get started, below are some resources to share with your students.

Suggested Companion Books

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink 

A historical novel that takes place during the Greenwood Massacre of 1921, in an area of Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as the "Black Wall Street." (publisher summary)

 

 

 

 

 

It All Comes Down to This by Karen English 

It's 1965, Los Angeles. All twelve-year-old Sophie wants to do is write her book, star in the community play, and hang out with her friend Jennifer. But she's the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood. When riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, Sophie learns that life and her own place in it is even more complicated than she'd once thought. (publisher summary)

 

 

 

One of the Good Ones: Shouldn't Being Human Be Enough? by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite 

Meet the three Smiths sisters, Genny, Kezi and Happi. Kezi recently lost her life under suspicious circumstances at a social justice rally. She will forever be remembered as “one of the good ones.” To commemorate Kezi and keep her spirit alive the sisters along with two of Kezi’s friends take a road trip Kezi had planned for her YouTube channel, highlighting stops along Route 66 and using The Negro Motorist Greenbook as a guide. (publisher summary)

Learn more about The Green Book: Digitized versions at NYPL, History of the Green Book blog post, Green Book LibGuide, Navigating the Green Book

 

NYPL Resources

African American Experience

Full-text digital resource exploring the history and culture of African Americans, as well as the greater Black diaspora.

Biography in Context

Provides biographical information on 650,000+ people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines.

Ethnic NewsWatch (1959-present)

Collection of ethnic, minority, and native newspapers, magazines, and journals published in America.

Infotrac Newsstand

Searchable full-text of 1000 plus newspapers, both national and international.

New York Times (1851-2016) w/ Index

Searchable full-text and page images from The New York Times archive with the option to search by subject headings (index covers 1851-1993).

U.S. History in Context

Coverage of the most-studied U.S. history topics through a web-like experience that supports the development of critical thinking and information literacy skills.

Onsite NYPL Resources (accessible at specific locations)

Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience

This resource provides a core collection of primary and secondary resources in Black Studies, including full-text articles, book chapters, dissertations, reference materials, timelines, images and multimedia.

Black Studies Center

Scholarly essays, periodical literature, historical newspaper articles, reference books, and more. Combines: Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, International Index of Black Periodicals (IIBP), and The Chicago Defender. 

External Resources

Library of Congress - The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library preserves and provides access to a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge to inform, inspire and engage you in your intellectual and creative endeavors. Of special note is the African American  History Digital Collections.

A Love Song for Latasha - a 2019 experimental documentary incorporating oral history and memories from LaTasha Harlin's best friend and cousin to shows the impact one brief but brilliant life can have. Harlin's killing in 1991 is cited as contributing to the buildup of tensions that resulted in the Los Angeles riots.

Dannielle Bowman - NYC-based photographer. You can listen to her discuss her latest work, "What Had Happened" where she returns to the LA neighborhoods of her youth on the Center for Photographers of Color podcast.​