“The people survived
The people fought”
― Renée Watson, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
On March 25, 2025, people all across the world will observe the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Everyone is asked to not only remember the brutal system of slavery that caused immense suffering, grief, and generational trauma but also raise awareness of modern-day slavery, racism, and prejudices of any kind. The books listed are provided for young readers to learn more about slavery– those who escaped, triumphed, and were a beacon of light to others, as well as holidays and events associated with slavery. There are both fiction and nonfiction titles in the list.
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1. They Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom
Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Candlewick | September 24, 2024 | PB
2. Do You Know Them?: Families Lost and Found After the Civil War
Shana Keller | Laura Freeman | Atheneum BYR | January 9, 2024 | PB
3. The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
Nikole Hannah-Jones | Renée Watson | Nikkolas Smith | November 16, 2021 | Kokila | PB
4. Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History
Schele Williams | Tonya Engel | Abrams | September 28, 2021 | PB
5. A Day for Rememberin’: Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day
Leah Henderson | Floyd Cooper | Abrams BYR | May 11, 2021 | PB
6. Song in a Rainstorm: The Story of Musical Prodigy Thomas Blind Tom Wiggins
Glenda Armand | Brittany Jackson | Albert Whitman | January 1, 2021 | PB
7. William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
Don Tate | Peachtree Publishing Company | November 1, 2020 | PB
8. BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
Carole Boston Weatherford | Michele Wood | Candlewick | April 14, 2020 | PB
9. Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom
Gwendolyn Hooks | Simone Agoussoye | Capstone | October 1, 2019 | PB
10. The Escape of Robert Smalls: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery
Jehan Jones-Radgowski | Poppy Kang | September 1, 2019 | PB
11. The Bell Rang
James E. Ransome | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy | January 15, 2019 | PB
12. Light in the Darkness: A Story about How Slaves Learned in Secret
Lesa Cline-Ransome | James E. Ransome | Little, Brown BYR | February 19, 2013 | PB
13. After the Clotilda: Africatown’s Hidden History
Anitra Butler-Ngugi | Capstone | August 1, 2024 | Chp Bk
14. The Story of Sojourner Truth
Anita Crawford Clark | Callisto Kids | January 16, 2024 | Chp Bk
15. Slavery and the African American Story (Race to the Truth)
Patricia Williams Dockery | Crown BYR | September 12, 2023 | MG
16. Fighting for Freedom Along the Underground Railroad
Shawn Pryor | Capstone | August 1, 2023 | Chp Bk
Sherri L. Smith | Who HQ | Tim Foley | Penguin Workshop | December 27, 2022 | MG
18. If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad
Ebony Wilkins | Steffi Walthall | Scholastic | November 1, 2022 | MG
Kwame Alexander | Little, Brown BYR | September 27, 2022 | MG
20. The Flag Never Touched the Ground: America’s Brave Black Regiment in Battle
Kekla Magoon | Thy Bui | Pushkin Children’s Books | September 27, 2022 | MG
21. If You Lived During the Civil War
Denise Lewis Patrick | Alleanna Harris | Scholastic Press | September 20, 2022 | MG
22. Harriet Tubman: Toward Freedom
Whit Taylor | Kazimir LeeLittle | Brown BYR | June 15, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop
23. Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You
Sonja Cherry-Paul | Jason Reynolds | Ibram X. Kendi | Rachelle Baker | Little Brown BYR | May 11, 2021 | ChpBk
24. Sculptor Woodrow Nash: How I Search for My Ancestors
Woodrow Nash | Shelley Fraser Mickle | Pelican Publishing | May 3, 2021 | MG
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