Tiffany Jewell - The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism

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THE ANTIRACIST KID . Text copyright 2022 by Tiffany Jewell. Illustrations copyright 2022 by Nicole Miles. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Cover art 2022 by Nicole Miles

Cover design by Samira Iravani

The illustrations in this book were done digitally.

Digital Edition OCTOBER 2022 ISBN: 978-0-35-870142-2

Print ISBN: 978-0-35-862939-9 paper over board

ISBN 978-0-35-862334-2 signed edition

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FIRST EDITION

For J and S and all the kids (still young and now grown) who have ever asked big questions

TJ

For Sage, Chiji, Obi, Ozi, Renzo, Eole, and Amara

NM

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing this book! I wrote this for you. I hope this book helps you to become the antiracist kid you are!

My name is Tiffany. I am a teacher, a mama, and an antiracist adult. I grew up in a city called Syracuse, New York. I lived with my twin sister and my mom. (I really love having a twin sister!) I am a Black , biracial , cisgender woman and a Person of the Global Majority . (We will learn all about what all of these words mean later in this book!)

I have been a teacher for a long time, and I love working with people your age. You are amazing! You are curious. You want to know more about the world around you. You want to know why and how things happen. You are a really good problem solver, and you can help us adults find ways to make the world a much better place to live in for everyone!

When I teach, I hear kids just like you say that they want to take action and make a difference, but sometimes the adults in their lives are not ready for them to do that. I want to tell you that you are never too young to advocate against racism and injustice . Being antiracist is not just work for adults to do. Everyone can be antiracistespecially you and your friends!

In this book, I want to help you understand what antiracism is. I will tell you a little bit about what I have learned about being an antiracist person since I started doing this work. I will also answer questions about things you may want to know more about. This book is full of interesting information. We will look at three different big words and what each one means:

* IDENTITY * JUSTICE * ACTIVISM

You will also meet three people in this book who are kids like you! Their names are Ruby, Shawn, and Dani. When I introduce them in the next few pages, we will learn a little bit about who they are. They will also help me answer your questions about being an antiracist kid!

You do not have to read this book from beginning to end like many other books. You can start reading at the part that looks most interesting to you! Parts of this book may make you feel excited or angry or sad. Parts of this book may make you feel confused. If there is anything in this book that you do not understand, ask the older people who helped you find this book!

The words we use and the way we understand them can grow and change just like people. You will notice that some of the words I use in this book are ones you may already know and use every day. And some of the words may be new to you, ones that you have never heard of or used before. The words we use, the way we say things, and how we communicate (tell and share) with other people have power . Words can include or exclude people. They can make us feel happy, like we have power, and they can make us feel sad, like we do not have power. The words we use matter. They are important. The things we say and the thoughts we communicate with our faces and bodies have a big impact on the people around us. In this book, I try to use words that are inclusive because I believe we can all be antiracist together.

I believe that you will help to make this an antiracist world. I am excited to work with you, antiracist kid!

In solidarity,

Tiffany

Identity means who you are. People use this word to talk about who they are as a person.

Identity is everything that makes you you, from what you look like to what you think and believe to what you like to do. Your identity is everything that makes you who you are.

Everyone has an identity.

No other person in the world has the exact same identity as you.

Your identity is made up of many different parts. Some parts of your identity are easy to seelike the way you dress and how your natural hair looks. Some parts are notlike what you believe and how you think and feel.

Together, all of the different parts of your identity make you who you are!

Your identity comes from your family and your community . (Find out what this word means !)

Your identity also comes from the people and things you see every day, like the people in your school and the shows you watch on television.

Your identity comes from the way you understand who you are and what people see and believe about you.

There are two different types of identity that people usually mean when they use the word: personal identity and social identity .

A COMMUNITY is a group of people living together in the same place. The place can be your neighborhood or your city or town.

Community can also mean a group of people who share the same ideas and goals, who care about the same things.

Your personal identity comes from you, your family, your community, the experiences you have, and the places around you.

It includes your names, the foods you like, and the people you love. Your personal identity also includes your relationship with your family members and the people you care about. It is also what you are good at doing, what you want to get better at doing, and the things you call your favorites.

Your personal identity is all about youthe parts of your identity that makes you different from other people!

This is Ruby! She has some personal identities she would like to share with you!

Ruby is eight years old.

Ruby lives with her mom and her ate Gabriela. (Ate is pronounced ah-tey.) They live in an apartment, and her lola lives in a house in the same neighborhood.

Ruby likes to dance, and fall is her favorite season. Her favorite color is green, and she loves ice cream! At school, Ruby likes Readers Workshop because she likes to read a lot.

Ruby has a pet turtle that she found when she was playing a game of hide and seek with her friends. (The turtles name is Raphael!) The turtle lives in a big tank in a corner of the bedroom she shares with her sister.