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Whether researching education policy and evaluating research or writing children’s fiction, Kevin Winn, Ph.D., has made his focus on racial equity for students a priority. Now Winn, a research assistant at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, is publishing his first books as part of a series he has written called Racial Justice in America: Stories.
The six-book series, published by Cherry Lake Publishing Group, is aimed at students in grades five to eight and will be released on August 1, 2021. Books in the series include juinteenth, which educates children about the story of June 19, 1865 – also known as Juneteenth – when the last slaves in the United States were finally freed as free men and women, as well as Desegregation and integration, voting rights and Jim Crow and the police.
Winn has been writing children’s fiction for quite some time now, and when he came into contact with an editor at Cherry Lake Publishing, his background and passion for racial equity made him the perfect candidate for this series of non-fiction, which he co-developed with educator, lawyer and author Kelisa Wing.
“When I entered education, I knew I wanted to affect children in a positive way, but I didn’t want to be a teacher,†Winn said. “That’s why I got involved in politics. But I feel like it’s here, it’s another great way to make an impact on kids through books and writing.
In the following Q&A, Winn answers questions about the upcoming series of books and his hopes for the project.
Who is this book or series for?
It is for all children. I think it’s important for white parents to address these issues early on, and I think that’s one of the issues that we have is that we don’t know how to talk about race, and we fear to be challenged when we say something. I think providing these kids with tools to start talking about it early and learning these things early, I think it helps them build relationships, helps them understand the history of the United States a little better. I think something that can be difficult is [wondering] when do you re-traumatize children of color by having these different things then hopefully these books are used appropriately to learn and help children learn from each other and have more open discussions.
What is appropriate for children to learn about racial justice and at what age can they really understand?
It was a bit difficult to do, especially making sure it was age-appropriate. The one that was the hardest to write was the racial atrocities because it teaches lynchings and those types of violent crimes. So how do you make this accessible for a fifth grader? You know, keep it pretty serious, but find that balance as well. The way I thought about it was, when I was doing research on lynchings, 10 year olds were participating in it, so I was like, if they were participating, I think it’s important that we learn from them. . Again, put on in an age appropriate manner.
How can educators use these resources?
It just gives a more complete picture of what is happening and what has happened in our country, and I think by showing that there are other events happening. In 1919, we talk a lot about the end of WWI, but we don’t talk about how the red summer of 1919 came about because of WWI. it affected other areas of life that we are not taught.
What did you like the most about this project?
I kind of loved every part. It was so much fun because I felt I could use my basic research skills and my passion for writing. It was one of those where it was, because I don’t want it to sound like it was really fun because it was also such a serious, devastating subject to learn these things, but I think it was so good for me to dig deeper into the history of the United States. I made connections between what happened today and what happened before. I think it was great for me to learn to write for the fifth to eighth graders. I haven’t written for this youngster yet, so it was a great experience.
What do you hope this book will accomplish?
I hope this will happen in the hands of children who might not otherwise learn these things. At least as an opening to think about the problems. Schools are now so separated by race that when we don’t have these personal connections, we don’t always learn from each other. So I think these books are a great way to learn about each other and each other’s stories and how different groups have different histories in the United States and how they are connected. Where can we find these connections with each other while recognizing and valuing the differences in what we have been through?
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