Dear John,

In commemoration of Black History Month, I invite you to the next event in our “Changing the World One Word at a Time” National Read-Aloud series. We’ll be featuring New York Times bestselling author, illustrator and Newbery Medal winner, Jerry Craft on Thursday, February 11th at 4pm ET, so please register now.

Appropriate for middle and high school youth, and adults of all ages, Mr. Craft’s graphic novels, New Kid and Class Act, use storytelling to help readers sharpen their skills of perspective-taking, tap into empathy and grasp nuanced messages about identity, diversity, bias and equity.

In addition to sharing his compelling journey and the creative process behind his books, Mr. Craft will conduct a live drawing demonstration followed by a Q&A, and give two signed books away*.

We are also pleased to offer resources for educators and families to help them connect with youth about Black History Month themes.

ADL Education Resources on Black History Month

• Educator resources: Lesson plans, teaching strategies, background information, children’s literature and more.
• Book of the Month: Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment — this picture book for ages 4-8 is about a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum inspires her to see the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in a powerful painting of Michelle Obama.
• Book Round-Up: 12 Exceptional Kid Lit Books to read for Black History Month. A great way to open the door to discussions about these experiences and milestones. Each recommended book comes with discussion guides for educators and families.

I encourage you to join us for an inspiring read-aloud with Jerry Craft on Feb 11th and hope you’ll find these resources useful as we work together to advance ADL’s mission of fighting hate for good.

Be well,
Dr. Angie McAllister, Ph.D.
VP of Education
ADL