"Get on the same page" with your teen about social justice with Community Read
March 19, 2021
This blog was written as part of the 2021 Community Read program. Learn more about Community Read and take the pledge here.
With eyes wide with fear and heart pounding, you take in the violent scene in front of you. What was supposed to be a simple football game between rivals has turned into a racially fueled riot. You find yourself trapped with someone you don't know, having to depend on them for safety. Could you make it through the night?
Authors Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal have tackled the difficult topics of racial bias, rioting, privilege, and police brutality in their book I'm Not Dying with You Tonight, which serves as the signature title for Community Read 2021. Drawing inspiration from the Baltimore protests in 2015, the authors created two very different girls with diverse life experiences who have found themselves trapped together as a social justice protest turns violent, resulting in riots across the city. As they try to survive the night, the two girls are forced to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality. This book will serve as a discussion opener for teens and adults as they take a hard look at current events and their own biases.
There are so many ways to engage with Community Read throughout the month. Sign up for the Community Read Beanstack challenge and choose from the wide range of online programs for teens, inspired by I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. You can discuss what a healthy teenage relationship looks like, create story quilts, write poetry and more. Join us on Wednesday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. for our Community Read signature author event and meet Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal to learn about their writing process and inspiration for the book. This live event will be streamed on the Library's YouTube and Facebook pages and features a Q&A session moderated by WSOC-TV news anchor Genevieve Curtis.
Teens can also follow the Library on Instagram @cmlibraryteens and participate in Community Read challenges.
Community Read has something for everyone. Families can engage with their children in Community Read programs through a StoryWalk or by attending a storytime based on the Community Read picture book title, You Matter. Tweens are invited to participate in a book club or poetry night based on the award-winning book, Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, and adults who want to learn more about our companion title Just Mercy can attend a book talk, a film discussion, or a book club. Click here for the complete calendar of Community Read inspired programs and events.
Everyone in your family can pledge to participate in Community Read. Check out the Community Read page for everything you need to get started.
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This blog was written by Jessica Reid, teen librarian at Mountain Island Library.