Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism

Ages 9 to 12, Grades 4 to 7

In this vital and accessible survey, a prominent activist for racial justice answers questions from real children, giving them the tools and the confidence to shape a more just society.

Using questions canvassed from children around the United Kingdom as her framework, writer, activist, engineer, and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied provides a clear overview of racism’s history, what it looks like today, and how to recognize, resist, and disrupt racist conversations and attitudes that can appear anywhere. This book is a practical guide for taking actionable steps, but it acknowledges that talking about racism invites complex feelings and offers tips and tactics for expressing those emotions safely, stepping back when needed, and prioritizing self-care. The book’s warm and assured tone, friendly illustrations, and supplementary charts, sidebars, infographics, and glossary offer an authentic way to open a dialogue with middle-grade readers, providing an eloquent call to nurture compassion and change, challenge inequality, and strive toward racial justice for all.

About the Author

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is the creator of the TED talk “What Does My Headscarf Mean to You?” which was featured as one of TED’s most influential ideas of 2015. She has designed a race car, worked on an oil rig, and written two children’s novels, a memoir, and a book of political essays. She has delivered keynotes in twenty-five countries and continues to comment on news and current affairs for the BBC and Al Jazeera. In all her work, Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an advocate for transformative justice and a fairer, safer world for all.

Aleesha Nandhra is an illustrator and printmaker whose work includes promotional pieces for the Barbican and House of Illustration (now the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration) and a Google Doodle. One of her prints appeared in the 2022 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. She lives in the UK.