Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. According to the Pew Research Center, about half of Americans (52%) say that racism in United States law and policy is a bigger problem for Black people than interpersonal racism. How would you define the term “institutional racism”? What is the difference between “institutional racism” and other forms of racism?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt will provide students with a shared working definition of Institutional Racism, one of the core themes of Anger Is a Gift, as they read the novel. Students will most likely have some understanding of the concept; however, contrasting “institutional” with “interpersonal” racism will give students an even clearer picture of what it is.

• Time’s “The Many Ways Institutional Racism Kills Black People” from 2020 contextualizes systemic racism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.
• PBS’s “Annual Report Shows Systemic Racism Continues to Bring Down Black People’s Quality of Life” is a discussion on the National Urban League’s annual report on the state of Black America, which showed that Black Americans have slipped further behind white Americans in terms of education, social justice, and civic engagement.