TEACHING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: Using All American Boys to Confront Racism and Police Brutality

Racism is a systemic issue that works alongside white privilege, a system of unearned benefits, such as obtaining financial breaks and loans, being reflected consistently in classroom curriculum, and being assumed as the "norm." Assumptions about people with light skin include their being honest, responsible, and safe. Thus, white privilege also simultaneously works through the oppression of people of color, about which the opposite assumptions are made--they are often portrayed (especially through the media) as unsafe, powerless, and less deserving of resources such as health care. This article focuses on the novel "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (2015) to help students work through the implications of racism and the manifestation of racism in police brutality. Reading about youth who are similar in age will potentially help students discern how they are affected by racial relations in their own lives and to consider (and hopefully act on) the methods through which they can enact change to combat the negative effects of racial inequity. [This article is excerpted with permission from the authors' book, "Reading for Action: Engaging Youth in Social Justice Through Young Adult Literature" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).]