One thing we love about this time of year is the focus on community. If your social media feeds are anything like ours, it’s full of people asking about recommendations for Black owned businesses, local shops, and community organizations to support. As we navigate a challenging climate where more book are being banned, there’s increasing pushback on diversity, equity and inclusion, and people are preparing for what the new administration will bring in 2025, it’s encouraging to see so many people take action to ensure the work and institutions that we say are important can continue to operate and even thrive.
We need that supportive community. So do our children.
During a recent Family Literacy Month event in Little Rock, author and Just Us Books co-founder Wade Hudson, asked students to come up front. He had a message for them.
"Each of you is blessed with a gift or gifts that you will use to make your unique contributions to the world,” he said. “Each of you is special. You must believe that. You must have faith in yourself. No matter what challenges may come, you can overcome them. You must overcome them. Our country and our world need you more than ever now.”
While there may be lots of uncertainty, we know there’s so much power in community. And there may be no more crucial time than now to identify what we can do — individually and collectively— to support the people and causes that are most important to us and our future.
As Amanda Gorman, the youngest Inaugural Poet in U.S. history reminds us:
“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
