Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Stamped by Jason Reynolds-
Review:
Stamped, by Jason Reynolds, presents a well-paced, honest narrative about how racist ideals were founded. The novel looks ahead towards a brighter, anti-racist future in America by providing relevant historical context and speaking candidly to inspire young adults towards racial activism. Reynolds begins the book efficiently, emphasizing that it is not a history book because it does not discuss racial issues as if they are things of the past. Rather, it contains discussions about historical events that connect to racial issues occurring in the present. This conscious introduction helps direct readers to the issues at hand, while simultaneously preparing them to delve into what might be, popularly, considered “taboo” subjects.
Reynolds effectively establishes the foundation of racist ideals, telling the story of Prince Henry, the “World’s First Racist,” and Zurara, who framed the Prince as the “tamer” of the “savage” Africans. These beliefs trickled their way down to the U.S. and into educational systems because of racial beliefs reaching the minds of John Cotton and Richard Mather, founders of Harvard University. This section is essential for showing young readers racism’s beginning, so that they can be informed advocates for its ending.
Reynolds uses Thomas Jefferson to show how privilege and racism invaded politics. He discusses how Jefferson was a contradiction; he seemed to understand that slavery was wrong and made attempts to stop it, but he also was profiting from slave labor on his own plantations. This section is effective in demonstrating that even leaders who can see how slavery is wrong can still reap its benefits; white privilege at its finest. Today’s readers have to know about privilege in order to dismantle it.
Then, Reynolds switches gears to talk about abolitionists and how the writings of figures such as William Lloyd Garrison and, surprisingly, Harriet Beacher Stowe encouraged people to join the abolitionist movement. The section also discusses Abraham Lincoln “Honest Abe,” in which Reynolds presents a very honest account of the kind of man he was: antiracist, but not antislavery. Furthermore, Reynold’s reveals the problematic nature of the well-meaning abolitionist movement, how Uncle Tom’s Cabin— a book that included racial stereotypes— led white people towards abolition, and how leaders normally labeled as of the abolitionist “greats” may have been falsely regarded.
Reynolds perpetuates transparency and points out problems with W.E.B. Du Bois’ efforts to advocate for the abolition of slavery. Reynolds claims Du Bois was an assimilationist and suggests that he used his education and privilege as a biracial man to push faulty tactics for black inclusion: "though Du Bois was making antiracist strides, he was still straddling the assimilationist line" (Reynolds 97).
This section is extremely necessary as it points out flaws in people that have even experienced discrimination and holds them accountable for their non-helpful actions. While I believe it was right for Reynolds to shed light on Du Bois’ misguided tactics, I felt that it was a little harsh, given that Du Bois truly knew what it was like to face injustice and had the best intentions.
The book ends by recounting more recent efforts to end racism, notably naming the Black Lives Matter Movement. Perhaps the most significant part of this section is its call to action at the end where Reynolds asks the reader directly which group they wanted to belong to. This brings the novel full circle and leaves the book without a conclusion because the work is not done.
As a New York Times best-selling author, Jason Reynolds is the writer behind the famous titles Long Way Down, Ghost, and All American Boys. Currently, he resides in Washington, DC, but was raised in Oxon Hill, Maryland. At just nine years old, he began to write his own poetry after taking an interest in rap music. Reynolds graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in English before moving to Brooklyn, New York. In 2014, he published his first work, When I Was The Greatest, then went on to publish several other titles and receive recognition. Reynolds has made it his mission to “not write boring books.” He hopes to continue writing books for “book haters,” middle-grade, and young adult readers. By creating stories that inspire compassion and empathy towards others, he emphasizes the sizable impact racism has on everyone. He wholeheartedly believes the younger generations can truly find solutions to issues that adults oversee, simply because they choose to see people as people. The narrative behind Stamped was written with young peoples’ thoughts in mind, finding them to be more accepting of different perspectives. This motif is also commonly found in many of his other works. Utilizing the connections from the past to the present, the objective of this book is to make history applicable for younger audiences. Reynolds finds that by acknowledging the hurtful past, we can move forward by admitting the problems in the present. “To know the past is to know the present. To know the present is to know yourself.” Overall, Jason Reynolds’ literary contributions have fueled the ever-growing need to initiate sincere conversations about the importance of taking action.
Instructional Resources:
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course Black American History
A crash course that describes in detail the Trans-Atlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries and the consequences that formed from it. This brief run down will be a good reference for students wanting to known more about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade mentioned in the book.
A transcription of the Declaration of Independence for students to formulate their own opinions about the double standards that are presented in the Declaration.
Phillis Wheatley, mentioned in Stamped, was an 18th century black poet who was labelled “special” because she was intelligent and literate. Students can read this poem of hers to become acquainted with her writing style and analyze the deeper meaning behind her work.
An Introduction to W.E.B. Du Bois’ “The Souls of Black Folk”
A short video summary of one of W.E.B Du Bois’ most famous books. This will allow students to understand more about his sociological ideas presented in his own work.
A children’s story mentioned in Stamped that has been known to perpetuate racist ideas. Students can watch clips of this movie before and after reading Stamped then share any new insights that they’ve learned.
This book includes pictures and an easy to read narrative that allows students to understand the trials that a black woman had to face during the time of slavery and the working of the Underground Railroad. It also provides a narrative that is otherwise glossed over in Stamped.
This is an article describing the journey that African American soldiers went on during World War 1. Students can use this as a reference if they want to learn more about the discrimination that black soldiers had to face during the war and after serving their country.
An audio recording and transcript of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech provided for students to be able to follow along and hear the annunciation behind every word. Students can then use the transcript to find portions of the speech that link back to W.E.B. Du Bois’ ideology.
Instructional Activity:
Preview:
This activity will be finished in multiple sessions, with students doing parts of the activity prior to reading the text. Students will write down their previous knowledge of Martin Luther King Jr.’s acts and his speech. Afterward, they will read and listen to the entire speech, provided in this link https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety, in case any students want the audio to help them get as much of the context as possible. Students will then read chapters 20 and 21 to receive more context about the era. Students will then compare what they have learned with the previous knowledge they had about Martin Luther King Jr., and see which parts of history they were taught. Through this process, students will integrate the information from these sources and past experience to help expand their understanding of the Civil Rights Era and see where the information they were given clashes.
California Common Core Standards:
Key ideas and details: Reading closely to determine what the texts says explicitly and making logical inferences from it; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text; determining central ideas or themes and analyzing their development; summarizing the key supporting details and ideas; analyzing how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.
Rhetorical Analysis: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose in order to delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
Craft and structure: Interpreting words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings and analyzing how specific word choices shape meaning or tone; analyzing the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs and larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole; assessing how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of knowledge and ideas: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually as well as in words; delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence; analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Comprehension and collaboration: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively; integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively and orally; evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Presentation of knowledge and ideas: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization; adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials; demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meaning; acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking and listening at the college and career readiness level.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his "I Have a Dream" Speech (Image from ncdcr.gov)
Resources and Preparation:
Students will need paper and a pencil to participate in the activity. Students will also need to have
read chapters 20 and 21 after giving their initial thoughts on a sheet of paper. Students will have to
refresh their memories regarding the Civil Rights Era to help them with the activity. Students must
create a graph similar to what is shown below, using the questions present as guidance of what
students should have in mind as they go through each step.
1.Students will first write down what they know about Martin Luther King Jr on a piece of paper. This is designed to ensure students will have the topic in mind as they go through the activity. This will also help students prepare themselves for the topics to come
2.On the same day, students will read the speech and annotate it, giving a summary of their thoughts during and after their reading on the spreadsheet. Students should give their thoughts on the topics the speech brings up and how the details in the speech might not have been present in their educational upbringing. Students should discuss the social, economic, and political conditions that Luther references, and if any of them stand out from previous knowledge.
3. Students will read chapters 20 and 21 the next day to give them more context to the era. They will then write down their thoughts on what they learned from the text, comparing what they learned with what they were taught in school. Students should reflect on the details they were not given in their texts and consider how much they agree with Reynolds as they read those chapters. Students will also give their thoughts to the acts occurring in history and see how it contrasts with what they learned. Specifically actions that the reader was unaware of, such as Northern states holding people being in favor of segregation being continued.
Bibliography
“About.” Jason Reynolds, www.jasonwritesbooks.com/about.
“An Introduction to W.E.B Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk- Macat Sociology Analysis.” YouTube, Macat, 28 Apr. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvE3Ft10h2w.
Bryan, Jami L. “FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: African-American Soldiers in WWI.” The Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army, 2021, armyhistory.org/fighting-for-respect-african-american-soldiers-in-wwi/.
Dunbar, Erica Armstrong. She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman. 37 Ink, 2019.
“Jason Reynolds Interview.” Audible.com, www.audible.com/ep/jason-reynolds.
Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 24 July 2020, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript.
King Jr., Martin Luther. “'I Have A Dream' Speech, In Its Entirety.” NPR, NPR, 18 Jan. 2010, www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety.
Lima, Kevin and Chris Buck, directors. Tarzan, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 1999, www.amazon.com/Tarzan-Tony-Goldwyn/dp/B003QSHPCO.
Muller, Stan, director. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course Black American History #1. YouTube, Crash Course, 7 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=S72vvfBTQws.
Nadworny, Elissa. “A History Book That Isn't: Finding A Way To Teach Racism To A New Generation.” NPR, NPR, 14 Mar. 2020, www.npr.org/2020/03/14/814630039/a-history-book-that-isnt-finding-a-way-to-teach-racism-to-a-new-generation.
Wheatley, Phillis. “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2021, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45465/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america.
