Resources

Dr. Lakeya Afolalu explores what it means for young people to grow up navigating multiple racial, ethnic, and linguistic identities. Using African young adult literature as a starting point, she asks: whose experiences are reflected in the books young people read? Practical for educators and families looking to expand the stories young people have access to.

Urban Wire’s Mark Treskon explores how assessments of the value of arts and culture that incorporate local knowledge, data creation, and engagement can produce locally relevant insights.

Two Wallace Foundation studies offer clues about how arts programs could help prepare young people for their future.

This book from Gholdy Muhammad reminds us that literacy is more than skill. It is also identity, intellect, critical thought, and joy. The most practical book on this list for teachers and program staff.

In this widely shared talk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shows what happens when one story is treated as the whole story of a people. An easy piece to watch before a workshop, family night, or staff conversation.

Rudine Sims Bishop’s short, lasting essay explains why young people need books that reflect their own lives and books that let them step into someone else's. A clear first read for parents and educators.