For people whose hearts are broken by seeing news of parents, families, and children suffering anywhere, this has been a difficult week. It was an ideal moment to be buoyed by hopeful news like the messages the King Center in Atlanta shared during their celebration of Be Love Day on July 9, as they invited people to pledge to Be Love every day in order to create and strengthen … [Read more...] about Being loving champions for justice
Child Watch
Following the facts on child well-being
Recently, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2025 edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book, an annual resource that measures national and state data on economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. As they sum up their latest findings: “This year’s trends paint a complex picture: steady progress in some areas, setbacks in others and persistent … [Read more...] about Following the facts on child well-being
Honoring Juneteenth
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the bill that had been passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and 415-14 in the House to establish Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19, as a federal holiday. Juneteenth marks the jubilant day in 1865 when many of the more than 250,000 people who were enslaved in Texas finally learned they were legally free. This … [Read more...] about Honoring Juneteenth
Gun Violence Awareness Day
The day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was running for President, appeared at a Cleveland event and said instead of talking about politics he had to speak about the “mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.” He said: “The victims of the violence are black and white, rich … [Read more...] about Gun Violence Awareness Day
Everyone is welcome
An Idaho middle school teacher recently made headlines for refusing to take down a classroom poster she said she was told was “controversial” and “an opinion.” The poster shows a drawing of hands in many different skin tones, each with a red heart in the center. The controversial opinion written at the top? “Everyone Is Welcome Here.” Sarah Inama, a sixth-grade world … [Read more...] about Everyone is welcome
Remembering Selma
Sixty years ago, on Sunday, March 7, 1965, John Lewis and Reverend Hosea Williams set out on a nonviolent march with a group of 600 men, women, young people, and children headed from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery. They were seeking the right to vote and protesting the tragic death of Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old black church deacon and military veteran … [Read more...] about Remembering Selma
Dr. Alvin Poussaint
Harvard Medical School scholar Dr. Alvin Poussaint, who passed away February 24, 2025, was a renowned psychiatrist and educator whose research included studying the ways racism and discrimination impact African Americans’ self-esteem and mental health, including black children and young people. He worked behind the scenes helping ensure positive portrayals of black families in … [Read more...] about Dr. Alvin Poussaint
Black workers, black history
“Freedom is never granted; it is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted. Freedom and justice must be struggled for by the oppressed of all lands and races, and the struggle must be continuous, for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationships.” –A. Philip … [Read more...] about Black workers, black history
Writing the next chapter
In the days following President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, the preparations for Black History Month felt especially joyful. That was a moment when the entire nation could see black history and American history being written at the same time. The record-breaking sea of nearly two million multicolored faces of all ages and from every nook and cranny of America cheering … [Read more...] about Writing the next chapter
Nikki Giovanni
When poet, essayist, scholar, and activist Nikki Giovanni passed away on December 9, 2024, the world lost a singular voice. Young readers especially adored the dozen books she created for children, including beloved works like the Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award-winning Rosa, illustrated by Bryan Collier. In a 2022 interview with the Washington Post, when … [Read more...] about Nikki Giovanni