Lauded by critics for its crucial look at justice in the United States, This is My America by author Kim Johnson has been recognized as the 2021 recipient of the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature, presented by Dodd Human Rights Impact at UConn.

“Kim Johnson has delivered a gripping story that tackles the human rights issues of historical racism, corruption, police brutality, and incarceration at a critical moment in our society,” says Glenn Mitoma, director of Dodd Human Rights Impact and a Neag School faculty member.