The United States has been reckoning with race and racism since its inception. Black creatives of all types—novelists, poets, musicians, singers, actors, directors, and more—have used their chosen media to illuminate this struggle and articulate the experience of being Black in America. This fascinating series, written by Black authors, tells the stories of eight Black creatives whose artistic and cultural contributions have expanded the collective conversation on race. Each book summarizes the person’s life and career to date, drawing attention to their accomplishments and how they have spoken out as a voice on race. Each book also includes a table of contents, a “Consider This” special feature, a biographical timeline, informative sidebars, quiz questions, a glossary, additional resources, and an index. This Focus Readers series is at the Navigator level, aligned to reading levels of grades 3-5 and interest levels of grades 4-7.

Select a title below to find educator resources, including lesson plans, curriculum correlations, resource links, and book-related downloadables.