Christopher Emdin speaking at TEDxNYED. Photo credit: Wayne K. Lin.

University Press Week runs each year in November and was first established by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 to recognize “the impact, both here and abroad, of American university presses on culture and scholarship." This year’s theme is “#LookItUp: Knowledge Matters” celebrating the value of knowledge and expertise that University Presses bring to the world. As a member of the Association of American University Presses, Beacon Press is proud to be a participant of this year's blog tour. In our contribution, we look at how social media has contributed to the success of one of our recent titles.

Dr. Christopher Emdin's For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education is one of Beacon Press's best-selling books of 2016 (in hardcover) and 2017 (in paperback). Word-of-mouth quickly spread to educators across the country as more and more had a chance to read the book and hear Dr. Emdin speak. It's not just individual teachers who see the value in Emdin's theory of "reality pedagogy" in creating transformative classroom experiences for urban youth of color, we also see school districts  buying the book for professional development as well as adoptions in education departments at colleges and universities. In its first year, we were thrilled to have it appear on two New York Times’s bestseller lists—Race & Civil Rights and Education—for multiple weeks!

Part of the success of For White Folks can be traced to enthusiastic online conversation by educators around Emdin and the book, especially on Twitter. The enthusiastic and thoughtful commentary demonstrates how the book has filled a definite hole in the conversation around urban education. Below are some of the kinds of responses Emdin and his book continually receive on Twitter that help spread the word and keep the conversation about how we can transform urban education for teachers and students going.

The San Francisco Unified School District Office shares that they are using the book for professional development with their teacher.

Educators sharing & reflecting in White Folks book study, session #1. Must consider race in 5 Core Props @chrisemdin @SFUSD_Supe @NBPTS #NT3 pic.twitter.com/EZrawMya8u

— SFUSD NB Support (@SFUSDNBsupport) November 3, 2017

Aaron Brengard, a principal at San Jose’s Katherine Smith Elementary School, is using For White Folks as a resource and book club with his staff.

Hey @chrisemdin - #forwhitefolks still going - nothing but amazing conversations & holding one another accountable. pic.twitter.com/xRZXNb8bJo

— Aaron Brengard (@brengard) May 18, 2016

Kevin Winebold, a musical director in NYC, is a big fan of the cover of the book.  

Don't judge a book by its cover, unless it's this one.Then purchase instantly. Thanks @chrisemdin can't wait to read pic.twitter.com/rFlpqfyzTN

— Kevin Winebold (@kevinwinebold) April 20, 2016

It also helps to have an active and impassioned author—both online and offline. Emdin's events always draw significant social media responses from attendees energized by his talks.

We are so far off from engaging those who are probably the most brilliant in STEM. Invigorating talk by @chrisemdin  with @GUIDE_VT pic.twitter.com/Voyv98A9Ou

— Ashley Taylor (@_AshleyRTaylor) November 5, 2017

Exciting evening! @chrisemdin provided an important reminder about the importance of creating space for people to be their authentic selves. pic.twitter.com/M4zgVQkD2P

— GUIDE Research Group (@GUIDE_VT) November 5, 2017

Readers, inspired by passages in the book, often share them online, which can often spread beyond Twitter and reach new audiences when shared on Facebook pages and groups or Listservs for educators.

@chrisemdin thank you. #teachingispersonalwork pic.twitter.com/TBfri0Rfwm

— Michelle Barrett (@BarrettTeaches) November 4, 2017

I re-visit  @chrisemdin 's 'For White Folks...' often for the  knowledge but also just to laugh at this line #cleareyesguy pic.twitter.com/LfHqC1lg5N

— Vero (@NatVWill) October 26, 2017

May we say "preach"? @chrisemdin pic.twitter.com/twSw63VXRi

— Paul Thomas (@plthomasEdD) April 29, 2016

The Beacon blog, with original pieces by Emdin and excerpts from the book, also provides content for educators to find online and share. In addition to teacher enthusiasm online, Emdin’s own large social media following and his weekly #HipHopEd Twitter chats provide a large and active audience for ongoing promotion of the ideas set forth in For White Folks.

As Race, Education, and Democracy Series editor Theresa Perry wrote in the book’s Series Note: “[For White Folks] is filled with wisdom, theoretical and practical knowledge that has been formed in praxis. It is required reading for teachers, teacher educators, and community activists…it is smart, compelling, filled with emotions, and brimming over with commitment.”

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Head on over to these other university press blogs to read their contributions: Harvard University Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, Athabasca University Press. Visit the AAUP website for a list of contributions from the rest of the week.