I Didn't Stand Up

When you are black, or a geek, or poor, or Muslim, or transgender — or anything "different" from the norm, you are a target for bullying. From Kindergarten through high school, the average student will hear about 150,000 putdowns of himself and others. How many will stand up?

Modeling the text of the poem, First They Came, about the abuses enacted by the Nazis on a variety of groups including the Jewish people — and about the many who did nothing to protect the innocent — author Lucy Falcone has written, I Didn't Stand Up. This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of a bystander who doesn't stand up for the innocent targets of school bullies simply because he views them as different from himself.

First they went after Jamal. But I'm not black — so I didn't stand up for him.
Then they went after Aisha. But I'm not Muslim — so I didn't stand up for her.

When things turn around and the bystander becomes the target, who will stand up for him? The book is a lesson in compassion and courage to defy bullying whenever and wherever you see it.