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With a presence in all 50 states, and a network of over 500,000 educators and nearly 100 million dollars of assets and funding each year, First Book is one of the major players in spreading the ideas of Critical Race Theory, “Social Justice,” and socialism throughout nearly every school across America. Founded in 1992 with the goal of “provid[ing] books and other resources to classrooms and programs serving children in need,” they have reshaped that goal into providing far left radical books to teachers, schools, and libraries across North America.  

In their 2020 Impact Report, First Book boasts of adding an additional 50,000 teachers to their network, bringing their membership count over 500,000. They are able to reach 5 million children annually, and they have provided over 18.6 million books in 2020 alone. Since their founding, they have supplied over 200 million books and educational materials across the country. While they do provide acceptable books for children, they eagerly promote books filled with hate and harmful ideas that are pure propaganda pieces to incite young minds to become far left radicals. 

First Book boasts partnerships with some of the largest companies and organizations in the world. These companies and organizations include, but are not limited to: Vanguard, The LEGO Foundation, PizzaHut, The Tennessee Department of Education, Teach For America, TD Bank, T. Rowe Price Foundation, the National PTA, Ralph Lauren, PBS Kids, The National Council of Teachers of English, National Grid, National Geographic, The Library of Congress, Mars Wrigley, Intel, Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Ford, Disney, Noggin, CITI, CASEL, The Bezos Family Foundation, The American Library Association, Boys and Girls Club of America, The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the National Education Association (NEA) among countless others.

Still, one of their most prevalent partnerships is with American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, a group founded by the far left radical Ibram X. Kendi.

When scrolling through First Book’s social media accounts, they brag about using their platform and influence to create systemic changes. The teachers tweeting their “First Book haul” pictures frequently feature books from race baiter Ibram X. Kendi and other far left leaning authors and leaders. 

Some of these books have been adapted to the reading levels of kindergarten all the way through grade 12. These books are finding their place in classroom reading corners, school libraries, into the hands of educators responsible for teaching your children, and into the hands of children themselves.

First Book has partnered with PizzaHut to harbor racism in the classroom through their “Empowering Educators” series in which they promote their “Guidebook on Race and Racism: An Introduction to Antiracist Pedagogy”. They recommend that teachers use “liberatory consciousness” as a framework for lesson plans which includes incorporating the four components: awareness, analysis, action, and accountable/allyship. They recommend that educators read Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad, “which offers a 28-day guided process of reflection and self-exploration of Whiteness,” because, they assert, “if you are a White educator, it is critically important that you take time to understand your Whiteness and the impact your identity has on the students and families you serve.” Layla has been featured by major news organizations and other publications, including ELLE and Forbes.

First Book has also partnered with the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) to provide “An Educator’s Self-Assessment” on “Unconscious Bias” in which educators can learn how to “disarm [their] bias.” In this guide, teachers are instructed to take the Implicit Association Test (IAT) that reveals bias in various areas including race, gender, sexuality, and “presidents” which is dependent upon whether or not one can “recognize photos of Donald Trump.”

Some of their promoted books include: 

We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson which is a young adult adaptation of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide. This book asserts that “as America achieves progress toward black equality, the systemic response is a racist backlash that rolls back wins.” One of many examples they provide is the election of Barack Obama followed by the election of Donald Trump. 

When you search “America” in First Book’s marketplace, the first book to be suggested is This Is My America which “explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.” This book covers how “a town’s racist history [still haunts] the present.”

What kind of radical leftist organization would First Book be without encouraging some violence? The children’s book, Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Be Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz is featured in their summer reading collection. First Book finds Malcolm X to be “a natural born leader,” with an inspirational story that “celebrates a vision of freedom and justice.” When Malcolm X, who believed violence was the answer, becomes the role model for protest, it leaves our youth with the idea that progress is made through violence. Howard Zinn said himself that “Martin Luther King, though still respected, was being replaced by new heroes,” and that includes Malcolm X along with Huey Newton of the Black Panthers. 

Sadly, First Book chose to recognize Memorial Day by featuring books including When They Call You a Terrorist: A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bandele, and One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden. On the special day that we honor our fallen heroes for their sacrifice, First Book makes no mention of what Memorial Day is truly about in America. 

For children ages 0-6, First Book recommends that they read Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas. This book teaches children that “white people” thought themselves “better, smarter, and prettier, and that they deserve more than everybody else.” They continue with the white supremacy narrative throughout the book, and use humiliating imagery to illustrate their point. This book is only the beginning of what is sure to be many more to come from First Conversations, a board book series focusing on activism and injustice, and encouraging conversations with two year olds about race and gender. In Being You: A First Conversation About Gender, many may be seriously disturbed that children will learn that “Some babies grow into a different gender than the one that grown-ups called them. There are lots of different genders that people grow into. Some people are girls. Some people are boys. Some people are neither. Some people are both.” First Conversations was created by Megan Madison, a former preschool teacher and current trainer at the Center for Racial Justice in Education and the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute where she facilitates “workshops for teachers and families on race, gender, and sexuality.” Jessica Ralli is another creator whose book suggestions for children include Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, and Neither by Airlie Anderson, both of which involve a highly disturbing interest of the teacher in the sexuality of preschoolers. She suggests that next to potty training and bedtime stories, parents should be discussing “white privilege” and “body liberation”. Isabel Roxas is another creator who is an author and illustrator. Also, Anne/Andy Passchier is another creator who is a “non-binary illustrator and queer advocate,” and has illustrated Trans+: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You, which is not exactly the book you want on a resume for someone who is being asked to illustrate children’s books.     

First Book’s materials and resources are distributed to classrooms across America on an unfathomable scale. The political powerhouse teachers unions are even taking some money away from their campaign for Bernie Sanders and the shrine they are building for him, and giving it to First Book so that their materials can reach millions of students throughout the nation. 

One final group that has a relationship with First Book is The Conscious Kid. It is hard to tell whether they have a partnership, or if The Conscience Kid is utilizing First Book and their marketplace to send radical books to educators across America. No matter the extent of their relationship, it is very telling that The Conscience Kid, who recently had staff telling workers at Hasbro that 3 month olds have racist thoughts and actions, views First Book as a kindred organization with similar goals.


This means that the radical ideas The Conscious Kid is poisoning minds with are present in the books being sent to millions of kids every single year.

The work that First Book is doing everyday allows many school boards, administrators, and teachers to state “these books were sent by an outside reputable organization.” While conservative “think tank” fellows and scholars complain, shout, and gain attention for covering one book being in 25 classrooms across the nation, First Book is flooding nearly every school across America with books that perpetuate the tenets of Critical Race Theory, “social justice,” and socialism on a daily basis.

While other individuals and groups are focusing on certain books finding their way into 10, 20, or 30 classrooms across the country, we at The Locke Society know that the real threat is much more serious. With your support, we can correct the path of education for all children and save America from the dangerous propaganda of the radical left. 

 

[Editor’s Note: This article was previously titled 100 Million Dollar Nonprofit Flooding Classrooms with CRT/”Social Justice” Books.]