Cultural awareness

Often referred to as "The Black National Anthem," Lift Every Voice and Sing was a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954), composed the music for the lyrics.

"Black History shouldn’t be treated as though it is somehow separate from our collective American history. Despite a tragic American history that saw Black people bought and sold into slavery, a continuing fight against everyday racism, and urgent issues like police brutality, we've remained strong. Black Americans confront a layered, painful past while making countless cultural contributions.

Seba Enrichment Academy provides all youth, teens and adults a place to learn about, experience and gain a deeper understanding of African & African American History & Culture. Click the image to visit website!

INTERSECTIONALITY MATTERS!

Intersectionality Matters! is a podcast hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.

Listen here

Our Culture, Our Stories

Welcome to Our Culture, Our Stories, an official NAACP Image Awards Podcast Series. Bringing you the spirit of the Image Awards all year round, Our Culture, Our Stories is your unfiltered, safe space for your favorite and emerging actors, musicians and authors – for civic leaders, activists and more noteworthy personalities – to share their journeys and helpful insights you can use.

NAACP Image awards podcast series

Chester County is the ancestral home of the Lenape people.

The Lenape people, who occupied this land for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. We acknowledge, honor, and respect the past, present, and future of the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land, whose presence continues in the region due to their resilience in the face of colonization.

Digital Diversity Day Series - Critical Race Theory from the Lens of Indigenous & Native American

NOVEMBER IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MONTH

LEARN MORE

America Made Lady Liberty a Hypocrite

In 1865, Édouard de Laboulaye, "Father of the Statue of Liberty," proposed creating a monument for the United States. As the president of the French Anti-Slavery Society, de Laboulaye believed that the passage of the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery in the U.S., 1865) was a milestone and it proved that justice and liberty for all was possible.

Too often we hear, “This is not who we are. We are better than this.” The 2nd part of this statement is aspirational. The 1st part raises the question, "If this is not who we are, then who are we?" Civil Rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson

the who we are project

Feb. 1, 1901 - May 22, 1967

James Mercer Langston- Hughes

was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

He sought to honestly portray the joys and hardships of working-class black lives, avoiding both sentimental idealization and negative stereotypes.

YOUNGER READERS

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juan Martinez-Neal
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States - For Young People* by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water* by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose*

Dreamers* by Yuyi Morales
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners* by Joanna Ho
I Am Brown* by Ashok Banker
I Am Enough* by Grace Byers
I Have a Question by Sonia Sotomayor (English and Spanish)
Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor
Lola at the Library by Anna McQuin

Our Skin by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, Isabel Roxas
Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family* by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali
Separate is Never Equal* by Donald Tonatiuh
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh* by Supriya Kelkar
The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi

The Year We Learned to Fly* Jacqueline Woodson
Tomas & The Library Lady by Pat MoraWe Are Water Protectors* by Carole Lindstrom
When The Shade bush Blooms by Carla Messinger, Susan Katz
Who Are Your People? (Audio)* by Bakari Sellers (Author), Reggie Brown

Providing support for each other in efforts to raise & guide children who are inclusive, informed & brave when it comes to race.

Embrace Race

Sesame Street in Communities is building stronger, smarter, and kinder children by training parents, caregivers, and providers. Providing free tools & resources to enhance the work they do with children and families.

Bringing us together for over 50 years

"Learning from—and with—one another is the first step to making justice real."

Learning Together

yOUNG ADULT AND ADULT READERS

The 1619 Project : a new origin story / edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman, and Jake Silverstein.
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States* by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Black Reconstruction In America- by W.E.B. Du Bois
Call Us What We Carry: Poems* by Amanda Gorman
Caste* by Isabel Wilkerson
Dispatches from the Race War* by Tim Wise
Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy* by Rachel Ricketts
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America*. by Clint Smith
Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City* by Andrea Elliott

“Surviving Racism: a Memoir of Life, Love and Faith – The Charles and Alice Thomas Story,” by Alice Thomas
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America. 2017 by Michael Eric Dyson
The Black Friend: On Being A Better White Person* by Frederick Joseph
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
The Racial Healing Handbook* by Anneliese A. Singh
You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation* by Julissa Arce.

Many of the books listed are available free of charge by using Libby, as part of the Chester County Library system.

CULTURAL AWARENESS