<p>Throughout my project, I focus on contemporary young adult historical fantasies that engage with legacies of systemic racism and Western Imperialism—a publishing trend that has developed due to an increased call for stories of racial inclusion in YA literature. These texts aim to create a more inclusive historical imagination by telling fictionalized histories that center people of color. Given the current political climate surrounding Critical Race Theory, my project analyzes how these texts both challenge and inadvertently perpetuate the logic of systemic racism. I argue that these historical fantasies attempt to acknowledge and untangle legacies of racism for audiences who, in the face of today’s reactionary political climate, may very well not be taught about them in their schools. My approach focuses on how, in their exploration of racism, these novels attempt corrective representation in the context of current social justice and racial reckoning movements, and grapple with the legacy of institutional racism in the here and now. As such, my project argues that we not only need diverse books in Western young adult fiction, but we also need more books that are willing to confront the persistent problems of systemic racism without perpetuating racial stereotypes or Eurocentric viewpoints. </p>