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
Child Watch
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
Giving the gift of books
As parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, and adults everywhere are busy choosing holiday gifts for the children they love, books should always be at the top of the list. The right book can spark a lifelong love of reading and open up a whole new world for a child or teenager that will last far longer than a toy. For more than 30 years, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) … [Read more...] about Giving the gift of books
A litany of Thanksgiving
On this Thanksgiving, I share once again the beautiful prayer of great black theologian Howard Thurman, A Litany of Thanksgiving. For many years I always made Thanksgiving dinner for our whole family and for friends away from their homes. Children read various inspirational passages before our meal, and we read this prayer every year. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the … [Read more...] about A litany of Thanksgiving
Keep rising
"God of our weary years,God of our silent tears,Thou who has brought usthus far on the way . . ." they are lines from “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the poem and hymn otherwise known as the beloved Black National Anthem. It’s a hymn that speaks of the long, difficult road we have already traveled – and the ongoing determination, through blood, stunted hopes, exhaustion, and … [Read more...] about Keep rising
Voting for the future
"The Peacemaker taught us about the Seven Generations. He said, when you sit in council for the welfare of the people, you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. He said, make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today." – Oren Lyons, Seneca Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation Every … [Read more...] about Voting for the future