As part of its ongoing commitment to equity and excellence, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students and staff can access anti-racist e-books and audiobooks through the Sora app, MCPS’ digital eBook and audiobook platform from OverDrive, without any wait time until late September.  

The following titles are available without hold time:

• “Antiracist Baby” by Ibram X. Kendi (Elementary)

• “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry (Elementary)

• “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson (Elementary)

• “The Lions of Little Rock” by Kristin Levine (Elementary/Middle)

• “A Good Kind of Trouble” by Lisa Moore Ramée (Elementary/Middle)

• “Clean Getaway” by Nic Stone (Elementary/Middle)

• “We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices” edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson (Middle)

• “I Can’t Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street” by Matt Taibbi (High)

• “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone (High)

• “I’m Not Dying with You Tonight” by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal (High)

“Literature provides a powerful lens to understand cultures, communities and experiences that are both different from and similar to our own,” said Superintendent Jack R. Smith. “Offering unlimited access to this curated collection is just one step in a multipronged effort to engage our community on issues of racism, bias and equity.” 

MCPS is working to interrupt bias and expand learning opportunities so that all students feel valued and learn at their full potential. As part of those efforts, an anti-racist system audit will focus on evaluating the current climate at MCPS, identifying the needs and recommending actions required to combat racism. It is anticipated that the findings and recommendations will be presented to the Board of Education in October 2020.