Culturally Responsive Books Like Nickle Boys for My Seniors
Help me give my students the gift of Culturally Responsive Books Like "The Nickle Boys"
$552 goal
This project expired on August 22, 2025.
This project expired on August 22, 2025.
My Project
Students from diverse backgrounds need to see themselves in the stories they read. Books like *The Nickel Boys*, which centers on the real-life horrors of a segregated reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida, highlight African American experiences that are often underrepresented in traditional curricula. This kind of representation affirms the identities of students of color and fosters a sense of belonging.
Culturally responsive literature invites students to grapple with complex historical and social issues—racism, injustice, trauma, resistance.
*The Nickel Boys* forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about American history and institutional racism. This helps develop empathy and deeper critical thinking, encouraging students to question systems and understand perspectives different from their own.
The book is based on the real Dozier School for Boys and shines a light on how systemic abuse can persist over time. It connects the past to the present, allowing students to understand the roots of current social justice movements. This historical context is essential for informed civic engagement.
Texts like "The Nickel Boys" open up classroom discussions about race, power, justice, and morality—topics that are vital for students to explore in a safe, guided setting. These conversations help students build communication skills and learn to engage respectfully with differing viewpoints.
Students are more engaged when they read texts that reflect real issues and diverse voices. Culturally responsive books often spark passionate discussions, deeper analyses, and more personal connections, all of which improve literacy and comprehension.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
480 students impacted
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