Summer Reading Bingo {a book of non-fiction}
Black City Makers: How the Philadelphia Negro Changed Urban America | By Marcus Anthony Hunter
I originally picked up this book last summer after it was recommended to those of us working with Philadelphia students by Dr. Camika Royal. It was hard to find a copy of, but I hunted one down on amazon...and then it lay mostly unread until this summer when I dove back into it.
I bought it in order to better understand the history of the culture of which the kids I teach each day are a part. Working in Jackson, MS and now Philadelphia, PA, my students are very different. Racism affects my Philadelphia babies as strongly, but in such different ways.
This book was eye-opening and certainly opened a window through which I can begin to try understanding my students’ lives a little bit better. Knowing the history from which our children come and which has shaped their own culture is important for educators.
This book is especially important to consider in today’s racial climate. It demonstrates that Philadelphia did not just “happen” around its black citizens. It did not exist without their significant influence and contribution. Black citizens of Philadelphia have played, and continue to play, an important and integral role in the development of the city and its culture.
In reading this, I learned a great deal about the city I love so much--how far we have come and oh how far we still have to go.