One of the unexpected side effects of reading so many children’s books over the last decade is that I’ve learned a lot more about many aspects of U.S. history that I was never taught about in school. I’ve posted from time to time about some of my travels exploring places around the country where I’ve explored some of that history.

I’ve decided to give those posts a blog of their own, which I started working on over the summer. I’m calling it The Resistance Files, because after the 2024 election, I became extra interested in how people in the past resisted injustice.

Resistance can take many forms, whether it’s protesting in the streets outside of the Stonewall Inn in 1969; striking against unfair labor practices in New England’s Blackstone River Valley, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution; creating art that lifts up Black people during the Harlem Renaissance; or commemorating peacemakers instead of celebrating war.

Since much of my interest in this history has been inspired by books for children and young adults, I’ll be including book lists with all my posts. It’s my hope that families will be inspired to read and explore some of these places themselves. The Resistance Files is still definitely a work in process, so please feel free to give me feedback, either in the comments or emailing me at jkdawson115@gmail.com.