Immigrant Rights Belong in Children’s Books

Many of us are following the fight for immigration reform. We know what’s at stake and why it matters. How do we bring this awareness to our children, students, and other young people in our lives? Even better, how do we invite them to question our current systems and laws, and inspire them to take action for fairness now and as they mature? Books are a good start!

Thankfully, there are more and more children’s books that address the many facets of the immigrant experience, but let’s get more specific: how about books that show immigrants as agents of social change?

Here are a few ideas for books to include in your home, school, or library shelf.

Books for Middle School Students

Let’s start with stories of young people who became activists for immigration reform, perfect for middle school students. Jose Antonio Vargas’ Dear America: Young Readers’ Edition tells his story of growing up undocumented and coming to support the Dreamer movement. Diane Guerrero’s My Family Divided recounts growing up with undocumented parents who were deported when she was a teenager, and ends with a list of resources for readers to know their rights and get involved.

Children’s Books

Now, let’s talk about children’s books that focus on low wage workers’ struggles for fair working conditions-- including movements where immigrant workers are playing a leadership role. Diana Cohn’s Yes We Can! captures the spirit of the Justice for Janitors campaign, Anne Berlak’s Joelito’s Big Decision shows fast food workers organizing, and Victor Narro’s Jimmy’s Carwash Adventure does the same for car wash workers. Duncan Tonatiuh’s Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight portrays a restaurant worker taking action to get the wages he is owed, and committing to helping others.

Why We Need More of Our Stories

I wanted a bilingual book that incorporated both the challenges faced by undocumented youth and workers, so I wrote it myself, bringing together two strands of my experience-- doing advocacy for low wage immigrant workers and being an educator, both as a public school teacher and now as a parent. For All/ Para Todos shows how a young girl finds her voice, discovers the power of writing and storytelling, joins with others, and becomes an activist for labor rights and immigration reform. For me, the need for a book with these themes is obvious, but as I’ve started talking about the book with others, I’ve found that I have to make my case and answer this question: Why do we need to address these issues in children’s books? This is how I explain it.

First, it’s the reality. Millions of undocumented workers are facing unsafe and unjust working conditions. They face the impossible choice of either putting up with substandard treatment or risk being torn from the life they’ve built, the families and communities they’ve formed, the home they chose. Many children live in mixed status families, and all children will form part of the workforce at some point-- so there is no escaping the impact of workplace policies and resulting social issues. We’re not preparing children for the real world if we exclude the stories of workers who form the backbone and heart of many of our industries, yet lack basic protections.

Second, introducing them to this “bad news” comes with the “good news” that immigrants themselves are some of the most powerful leaders for social change of our time! Immigrant workers are organizing, making changes in their workplaces, in the law, in our culture and communities. There’s the inspirational story of young immigrants protesting and risking everything to get protections for Dreamers and succeeding. There are so many extraordinary examples of workers taking collective action to demand fair conditions, and in many cases, winning. How important is it for kids to know that immigrants are actively working to make laws fair for everyone? Not only are immigrants enriching this country economically and culturally, they are also important protagonists in the quest to move closer to “justice for all.” 

Third, we need to send the message to kids that their “voz y voto” (voice and vote) matter. It is patriotic and loyal to ask your country to live up to its ideals and to do the hard work of helping it happen. We want kids to be engaged citizens; we want them to know that their leadership is needed to keep pursuing the dream of opportunity and equality. Let’s keep creating books and educational spaces that ask kids, “What do you think is fair? What do you want to stand for?” Let’s invite them to get informed, speak up for themselves, stand up for others, and find ways to contribute to the things they care about. Books can model this process.

Let’s make sure when we look at our bookshelves, the diversity we represent is not just in characters’ backgrounds, but also in the roles they play, including the crucial role of working for social change.