Monday, October 27, 2008

A Note of Thanks


There are so many people who have helped us over the years. We thank our parents, Wade Hudson, Sr. and Lurline Hudson, and Hayes and Lillian Willis for providing a firm foundation that made it easier for us to embark on this journey. It is a foundation built on faith, love, service, responsibility, commitment, and a firm belief in hard work.

We thank the many people who have served on our staff over the years, especially Willie Hudson, director of sales, and Major Hudson, shipping manager, for their support, hard work and dedication. Both Willie and Major have been with Just Us Books almost from the beginning.

We thank owners and operators of Black book stores and individual vendors who carried our booksand sold them in stores, at street fairs and conferences and other events. We thank our family and friends and Imani church family for their loveand support. We thank parents, teachers, librarians, and children for buying our books and encouraging us with warm wishes. We thank our talented authors and illustrators who have worked with us tirelessly to create authentic stories and images that resonate with our community and reflect our heritage and our history. We thank all of our volunteers and interns who are always willing to help in any waythey can.

Last but not least, we thank our children Katura and Stephan. They have been on this journey with us since they were little. Both hold important positions at Just Us Books and in other projects we have undertaken. They were and will continue to be our inspiration. They are also integral parts of the legacy we will leave. This legacy links us to the past, the present and thefuture.

What started with us as a mission has become a ministry and we know we've demonstrated that good books do make a difference. Frederick Douglasssaid it even more succinctly:

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

From 1988-2008 has been twenty years! That's a long time and the road hasn't always been a smooth one. But we love what we do and we thank God for the gift of this ministry of encouraging, enlightening, informing and empowering young people through books.

Wade and Cheryl Hudson
founders and owners
Just Us Books, Inc.
October 25, 2008






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