Rachel Walker Cogbill reads "Jackie's Bat"

Jackie's Bat by Marybeth Lorbiecki, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Rachel Walker Cogbill, a retired teacher, was attracted to Reading to End Racism as an organization because it combines a topic she finds immensely important and continuing her time with children in the classroom. 

She read the book Jackie’s Bat in Berlin, Cabot, and Union Elementary schools to third and fourth graders. The book  is the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, as seen through the eyes of his bat boy.  The students discover how the characters’ prejudice is changed to acceptance and admiration in the story as the characters get to know Jackie Robinson.

Activity: Rachel, who brought her Louisville Slugger bat with her, began her activity by acting out some examples of racism in Vermont, and she asks the children what they have studied about racism, and then has them try to imagine what it would be like to have some of their examples (like not being able to use the same drinking fountains) happen in their school. They learn how hard it is to break the color barrier, and the link is made to President Obama’s being the first African-American president. Many of these points are brought out by the students themselves as they write down a few thoughts and then share them in a group discussion. Students take home their paper to share with their families. Rachel takes home her Louisville Slugger bat.

Melora Kennedy reads "Say Something"

Say Something by Peggy Moss, illustrated by Lea Lyon (read most recently at Northfield Elementary School)

Melora presented Say Something as a felt board puppet play to a Fourth grade class.The book is written in the voice of a grade school girl. The school she attends is diverse and the story centers on a series of incidents that the protagonist witnesses as a bystander. She is a sensitive girl - nonetheless, although she sees other kids being victimized, she doesn't say or do anything. Finally she herself is the target of some bullying in the cafeteria. Later she relates the scene to her brother after school. She complains about the other kids in the lunchroom who watched but did not help. "Why are you complaining?" he said, "they didn't do anything." The light dawns, and in the last scene we see our heroine sitting beside the girl on the bus  no one ever sits next to, laughing and joking. The bystander has become an "upstander".

Activity: The children broke into groups of four or five and practiced a script of a scenario where a young person is the target of bullying based on her skin color. After practicing, the children came together and performed for each other.

Discussion: After the high energy activity we had some time to pull out some key ideas focusing especially on how  bystanders can help when they see a problem. First you can support the targeted child similar to what the girl in Say Something did when she sat beside the girl on the bus. Second you can intervene by speaking directly to the bullying child. Finally, you can tell someone about the problem and get some outside help, especially from adults.