The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards is committed to advancing the understanding of diversity through education. Here we have pulled together a collection of resources that educators can use to deal with the subject of diversity with audiences of all ages.
Activities
Activities and materials, developed by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project, to help educators address issues of multiculturalism in the classroom using age-appropriate resources.
Kids Corner
Suggested reading material for children and young adults featuring protagonists from a variety of background and traditions.
For Ages 9-12
- Ruby Bridges, Through My Eyes (1999)
- Russell Freedman, The Voice that Challenged a Nation Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (2004)
- Nikki Grimes, The Road to Paris (2006)
- Dan Gutman, Jackie and Me (2000)
- Julius Lester, Day of Tears (2005)
- Shelley Pearsall, All of the Above (2006)
- Pam Munoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising (2002)
- Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (2006)
- Jane Yolen, The Devil’s Arithmetic (1990)
For Young Adults
- John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions (2001)
- Sharon Draper, Copper Sun (2005)
- Nikki Grimes, Bronx Masquerade (2002)
- Cynthia Kadohata, Weedflower (2006)
- Pnina Moed Kass, Real Time (2004)
- Patricia McCormick, Sold (2006)
- Ben Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear (2001)
- Shelia P. Moses, The Legend of Buddy Bush (2003)
Writers Workshop
The Anisfield-Wolf prize provides an opportunity to connect winning authors with Cleveland-area youth. Gatherings presented in cooperation with the Cleveland Public Library and the Cleveland Municipal School District offer young people the chance to gain appreciation of the writing process by meeting and talking with authors from a wide variety of disciplines. By interacting with winning authors, children get a chance to learn “the story behind the story.”
Case Western Reserve University
In 2005, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and the Cleveland Foundation formed a partnership with The Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities and SAGES (Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship) at Case Western Reserve University to host the annual Anisfield-Wolf Lecture. This annual lecture exposes students to innovative writers whose work addresses issues of race and human diversity. The Anisfield-Wolf/SAGES lecture aims to spark interest in the humanities and arts on campus.
The inaugural 2005 lecture, conducted by Jury Chair Henry Louis Gates Jr., attracted more than 1,000 guests, who also enjoyed a question-and-answer session with Gates. Subsequent lectures were presented by Anisfield-Wolf juror and former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, 2004 award recipient Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, 2007 Lifetime Achievement honoree Taylor Branch and 1997 recipient Jamaica Kincaid.
For more information, visit www.bakernord.case.edu.