First: Thank you so much to everyone who replied to Friday’s request for feedback. I’m still replying, but I’ve read them all and appreciate each one.
The other day, Rep. Ayanna Pressley said on Native Land that we need to “call a thing a thing.” (That’s a YouTube link; here’s podcast info if you’d rather not watch a video.)
In that spirit, here are two small ways you can observe Black History/Black Futures Month with a kid in your life.
➡️ Buy a book or two, then gift them to a kid you know, offer them to a school librarian or classroom teacher, or leave them in a Little Free Library. (All of these links are to Better World Books search results, so they’ll be used copies, sometimes with old library stickers on them. You can, of course, buy one new via Bookshop or your favorite indie.)
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist (Cynthia Levinson) - This book is awesome, not boring or preachy, approved by my first grader.
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky (Faith Ringgold) and I am Harriet Tubman (Brad Meltzer) - These two about Harriet Tubman, written and illustrated totally differently, were both recommended on Raising Luminaries and captivated my kid. There are many others.
Ways to Make Sunshine (Renee Watson) - Our latest bedtime read-aloud series; I’m linking to the first one because it’s sweet to read them in order. By Book 4, our heroine Ryan Hart is doing group projects about notable Black leaders in her hometown of Portland, OR, which is a nice way to learn about people we hadn’t heard of before.
Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix-Up (Melissa Thomson) - Like Renee Watson’s heroine above, Keena is an everyday kid in the present day. She lives in the DC area, has divorced parents, makes us LOL, and — in this installment — learns about Congress and elections.
➡️ Add these Whose Amazing Life? episodes to your podcast queue if you have a young person in your life whom you drive around.
Heroes from yesteryear: The Scientist, The System Shaker, The Mathematician
Young(er) folks still doing their thing today: The Winner, The Advocate, The Slam Dunk
If you have favorite titles or media to share, please leave a comment below!
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