Dear Young Readers,
Today’s the day! I feel so humbled to have helped shepherd Stamped (For Kids) into the world. I keep imagining you- reading, studying, and talking, about the history of race and racism in the United States. And as you grapple with the unsettling truths, I hope you feel all of the love Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds, and I are sending you.
I can’t help but think about the young people in my own family. Imani, Ella, Nina, Petra — the children, of the children, of the children of Bully and Big Ma, my grandparents, who…
You wear the label proudly
It is justified, your superpower
When the breaking point happens
It is your anger that rescues and restores you.
Right from the start you,
the only Black K-12 academic teacher in that district,
KNEW
Your emotional safety was at risk
They were more comfortable with
An Assimilating Black Woman
Not
an angry one.
Scene 1
A White parent complains
you are
Doing “too much Black stuff”
You swallow the indignity
Meet with her and the White principal
Textbook in hand, to prove, that yes
3/5ths clause is actually IN the curriculum. She replies,
“Bobby
already
feels bad…
Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul
Educator. Author. Activist. Twitter: @SonjaCherryPaul Website: sonjacherrypaul.com
