“Black Lives Matter“ is geared toward middle school and high school students, and it is set for publication in 2016 by Minnesota-based publisher ABDO. Co-authored by Duchess Harris, Professor and Chair of American Studies at Macalester College, and Missouri-based journalist Sue Bradford Edwards, the 112-page textbook covers, as described by Abdo:
“[…] the shootings that touched off passionate protests, the work of activists to bring about a more just legal system, and the tension in US society that these events have brought to light.”
In an interview with Twin Cities Public Television, Harris explained why a Black Lives Matter textbook is necessary;
“I have students that come to Macalester…they’ve just finished 12th grade, and I ask them, ‘So what have you learned in high school about US race relations?’ and it’s usually not very much…. students often don’t really understand why people protest in the way in which they do. …A lot of people try to think of [Black Lives Matter] as being very different than the civil rights movement, and I actually don’t see it that way at all…this is just a different moment but very similar circumstances.”