A NOTE FROM ZAPOURA
If you're into children's literature and/or involved in social justice movements, you've surely encountered the beautiful illustrations of Nikkolas Smith. From his viral 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a hoodie illustration to The 1619 Project: Born in the Water, Smith has been using art to inspire discussions and action around race and justice for years. And his illustrations, for me, open up a heart space. The freedom and the movement of his marks on the page, the expressiveness, the love, and the pain -- trust me that reading this book will really move you.
ABOUT STORYSEED SOCIAL JUSTICE CURRICULUM
Our curriculum and ongoing practices are rooted in emergent strategy: “the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions.” The interactions we have with books, among reading partners, inside classrooms, and within reading communities are relatively simple. What is cultivated from those interactions is something much more complex – lifelong, daily abolitionist, decolonizing, heart/body-centered, and anti-racist practices. These include learning how to make the ground more fertile for ongoing identity, healing, discussion, action, and imagination practices in ourselves and with each other.
Each curriculum includes section summaries, discussion questions, additional learning resources, and a list of books to read next.
BOOK SUMMARY
A young Black protagonist walks through the city noticing the problems and injustice around them. With a paintbrush in hand, a love of art, and an interest in contributing to social change, they begin to see themselves as an artist-activist – an artivist.
With pages that invite us into the experience of the illustrations, this story asks us to take a look at what injustice is happening around us and inspires us to take a talent or hobby that we have and to use it for the good of our community and world.
BOOK THEMES
JUSTICE, ACTION, ART, ACTIVISM, SOLIDARITY, COMMUNITY, CREATIVITY
CURRICULUM SNEAK PEEK
This is a literal snapshot of the curriculum or this book. I hope it gives you a little taste and leaves you wanting more!
GET THE CURRICULUM HERE
Click below to purchase the curriculum for A Wish in the Dark. Thank you!