Diversity and Acceptance: Islamic Culture Grades 3-5

This picture book explains the Muslim holiday Ramadan by answering the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when and why.

This story, illustrated by Don Kilpatrick, describes a group of people who immigrated from Germany to the United States in order to seek religious asylum and practice their way of life in peace, but were met by continued persecution, which only escalated when World War I broke out.

Mari and her family have been sent to an internment camp in Utah. She does not understand what they have done to deserve their internment and longs for her backyard in California where she used to grow sunflowers.

In this excerpt, Garang tells his story of how he became a lost boy when war destroyed his village. Walking with thousands of other orphaned boys, Garang travels thousands of dangerous miles from southern Sudan to a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

These creation myths, from two different cultures, consider how the world came to be.

In this story, Hani faces the decision of removing her hijab in order to play in a basketball tournament or sitting on the bench and watching the game. With the support of her teammates, she stands up to injustice and makes an important decision.

In this essay, Nhi relates her experience of moving to the United States from Vietnam when she was in high school. Her story illustrates the value of perseverance and “putting yourself out there.”

Helen Tsuchiya, born a U.S. citizen, tells what it was like to move from her home to an internment camp surrounded by barbed wire after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Hussein, the narrator of My Name Was Hussein, lives in Bulgaria. His Muslim family takes great pride in their religion and traditions. But soldiers soon arrive in their village and force all of the Muslims to adopt Christian names, thereby inhibiting their freedom and identities.

In this video, Seema meets with her employer, Ms. Tate, who is happy to tell Seema about a promotion. However, Ms. Tate says that to be considered for the position, Seema must stop wearing her hijab. Seema refuses, saying her religion is important to her and that she can do the job without showing her hair.

“I remember being in court every day...”

In this Story Corner from Teaching Tolerance Magazine, Yaki is nervous about making friends at her new school but finds a way to share her culture and art with her new class by creating a class mural.

This film documents English language learners as they write and tell personal stories from their past.

This video clip addresses reactions from Japanese Americans to the 8 p.m. curfew, forced imprisonment in internment camps, and creation of the 422nd Regimental Combat Team.

“Tosh Yasutake’s father was arrested by the FBI after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and held in internment camps administered by the Department of Justice. The rest of the family was incarcerated in the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Tosh volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team while still in camp. In this clip, he talks about making that decision.”

Kara Kondo: I can always picture [the scene]. The sun was setting and the crowd was gathering where the people — some of your friends — and there were hundreds of people there. Some were there to say goodbye, others came

“Masao Watanabe grew up in Seattle, Washington, and during the war was initially sent to the 'assembly center' at the fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington. In this video clip, he talks about his initial reactions upon arrival.”

“Padam and Purna were forced from their homeland in Bhutan and trapped in camps in Nepal for decades before being resettled in an alien land: Clarkston, Georgia. The refugees have found some stability, but still feel frustrated and uprooted, which leads to domestic violence and suicide in the refugee community. Padam and Purna realized that familiar food is the first step to feeling at home. They have opened a food store and other refugee-run businesses, which offer safe spaces and sources of mutual support for all the Asian refugees in Clarkston, who are united by their experience of trauma.”

Mia can’t understand why the new kid, Amena, seems sad, but she learns that a little empathy can go a long way.