tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32102585215529469592024-03-17T17:36:44.561-04:00Good Books Make a DifferenceA blog by Just Us Books, Black-owned publisher of children's books that center and celebrate Black people, history and culture. Just Us Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15269415512809185865noreply@blogger.comBlogger309125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-83989629950074744322024-02-11T14:04:00.003-05:002024-02-14T07:01:44.998-05:00Just Us Books to Host Writing Our Future: A Celebration of Black Children’s Literature<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In honor of our milestone 35th
anniversary and Black History Month, Just Us Books is proud to present a program that will bring together a
dozen acclaimed Black children’s book authors and illustrators. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><a name="_Hlk157014299"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Writing
Our Future: A Celebration of Black Children’s Literature</span></b></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> will be held
Saturday, February 17, 2024, 12 - 2:30 pm at the Montclair Public Library, 50
South Fullerton Ave. in Montclair. It will also be streamed online.</span></p>
<p style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXQiorAPyi53mCaHZ8GhK-qgHgtigJJfkMu7Msswr-hdjEjsssPCrCYzFbQvFavKlm2hBDpmmiKd4KC-Hsvj7rs0tu2GxgEh5D7aJGsyywFz4keeA0RhWBjEofXtjGFK5spI4UHmlaps7hrbufPF9y25ZhhLulZK35g462aMQ7DYD_vh8s48fLJpL_KBP/s4500/1080x1080_IG%20JUB_Montclair.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4500" data-original-width="4500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXQiorAPyi53mCaHZ8GhK-qgHgtigJJfkMu7Msswr-hdjEjsssPCrCYzFbQvFavKlm2hBDpmmiKd4KC-Hsvj7rs0tu2GxgEh5D7aJGsyywFz4keeA0RhWBjEofXtjGFK5spI4UHmlaps7hrbufPF9y25ZhhLulZK35g462aMQ7DYD_vh8s48fLJpL_KBP/w400-h400/1080x1080_IG%20JUB_Montclair.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sponsored in collaboration with the Montclair Public
Library and local independent bookstore Watchung Booksellers, the event will feature
panels, book readings, autograph signings and literary performances. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Guest authors
and illustrators include: <b>Rita Williams-Garcia</b> (<i>One Crazy Summer</i>),
<b>Valerie Wilson Wesley</b> (<i>Willimena Rules series</i>), <b>Denise Lewis
Patrick</b> (<i>Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</i>), <b>Sharon Dennis Wyeth</b>
(<i>Something Beautiful</i>), <b>Eric Velasquez</b> (<i>Schomburg: The Man Who
Built a Library</i>), <b>Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich</b> (<i>Operation
Sisterhood</i>); <b>Torrey Maldonado</b> (<i>What Lane?</i>), <b>George Ford</b>
(<i>The Story of Ruby Bridges</i>), author-illustrator-educator <b>Toney
Jackson</b> who will deliver a spoken word performance, as well as authors and
Just Us Books founders, <b>Wade Hudson</b> and <b>Cheryl Willis Hudson</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Books play such an important role in preserving and
sharing Black history and culture. We can’t think of a better way to commemorate
Just Us Books’ 35 years in publishing than by bringing together a talented group
of authors and illustrators for a Black History Month literary celebration,”
said Wade Hudson, CEO of Just Us Books.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“We’re hoping to reach the entire community with
this event,” explains Cheryl Willis Hudson, Editorial Director of Just Us
Books. “It’s a great opportunity for children to meet published authors and
illustrators; for aspiring creators to learn about building careers in
publishing; and for parents, educators and readers of all ages to get some wonderful
books.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Panels include:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our Literature’s
Legacy</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, a conversation about the path to more diversity in
children’s publishing and how we continue the progress<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Putting it All
Together: Creating Books for Young Readers</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
about the author and illustrator creative process, developing your craft, and
how to break into and succeed in the industry<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Power of the Pen</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> highlighting the power of children’s literature to inspire
change<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The event is free and open to the public, including
children of all ages. </span></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Registration is encouraged for in-person attendance: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://montclairlibrary.libnet.info/event/9975696&source=gmail&ust=1707764270167000&usg=AOvVaw3XCvApkG0JxS9YL8rLmFM7" href="https://montclairlibrary.libnet.info/event/9975696" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://montclairlibrary.<wbr></wbr>libnet.info/event/9975696</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and is <b>required</b> for virtual attendance: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://montclairlibrary.libnet.info/event/10147473&source=gmail&ust=1707764270167000&usg=AOvVaw0NNZy34ov96nQMKKJP_CHg" href="https://montclairlibrary.libnet.info/event/10147473" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://montclairlibrary.<wbr></wbr>libnet.info/event/10147473</a> </p><p style="background: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>###</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-12726133420918238802023-10-08T08:52:00.002-04:002023-10-08T08:52:48.803-04:00Wade and Cheryl Hudson to Receive BookFest Honorary Achievement Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbSIR5R21G739f0ibNMCSyRsPHDB5l2ch_vc2rvll9fsM3nH63wEOAwAm69BVftD3unKyocXfwhrVcnjGURvGP1ulpicYBO3EwPzKl5wipXuu_B64L1EbC4oFF0U7dvd-znHztgqzWQLiXz-M7p_RbbQJm-0haC3CHMWarJk-YWonxYw71WQmQZHEK1Bf/s1080/The%20BookFest%20Honor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbSIR5R21G739f0ibNMCSyRsPHDB5l2ch_vc2rvll9fsM3nH63wEOAwAm69BVftD3unKyocXfwhrVcnjGURvGP1ulpicYBO3EwPzKl5wipXuu_B64L1EbC4oFF0U7dvd-znHztgqzWQLiXz-M7p_RbbQJm-0haC3CHMWarJk-YWonxYw71WQmQZHEK1Bf/w400-h400/The%20BookFest%20Honor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Wade and Cheryl Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, will be presented The BookFest Fall 2023 Honorary Achievement Award, which honors individuals who have contributed positively to the literary world. The Hudsons are being recognized for their contributions to children’s publishing, their work centering Black stories, and their dedication to diversity and inclusion.</p><p>The award presentation is part of Book Fest, a leading virtual literary event, and will be live streamed Saturday, October 21, at 10:45 am Pacific at <a href="https://www.thebookfest.com">https://www.thebookfest.com</a>/</p><p>Celebrating its 35th anniversary this month, Just Us Books is a leading publisher of children’s books that reflect the diversity of Black people, history and culture. Wade and Cheryl Hudson founded the company in 1988 grounded in the belief that “Good books make a difference,” and have led Just Us Books not only in publishing good books, but in creating more opportunities for Black authors, illustrators and other creatives to enter the industry. Just Us Books is now widely regarded as an institution in the community and children’s publishing industry, and remains one of the nation's few Black-owned presses. In addition to their work as publishers, Wade and Cheryl are both award-winning authors with more than 30 titles each to their credit. </p><p><b>ABOUT THE BOOKFEST®</b><br />The BookFest is the leader in virtual literary events and produces vital conversations on the world’s stage for those who love to read, and those who love to write. Launched in May 2020 as many live events were forced to be cancelled, the biannual event is free to attend and takes place in the spring and fall, streaming panel discussions, conversations, and live interactive sessions. The BookFest features an array of literary speakers, experts, and authors and is presented by Books That Make You and produced by Black Château Enterprises. For more information, visit <a href="http://TheBookFest.com">TheBookFest.com</a></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-77318625441819196082023-10-01T17:51:00.001-04:002023-10-01T18:54:53.502-04:00Embracing the Past, Empowering Our Future: Reflections on Just Us Books’ 35 Years <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"><i>by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson<br />founders,
<a href="https://justusbooks.com/" target="_blank">Just Us Books</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Thirty-five years ago, we sat at our dinner table
contemplating starting our own children’s book publishing company. We had
already self-published two books, the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">AFRO-BETS ABC Book</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> and the </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">AFRO-BETS
123 Book</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> and our success with them in the marketplace prompted a serious discussion.
Should we strike out and expand our venture to publish works by other Black
book creators?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4N1ceQvs7B0KKzao1fD5BOftUIhshuLTgM8tX3g164PrEcqK6g-AE_EtADsKUKMA059VZJwvZrWiqZQJN7VJEWj1dQTofAlp3PhRhs6zuY0-OGPhJ-YhP7uhM5tgQH5PAU3tDc5Nm8ofm-wRMn8nWFhLfvwrnuPnWJhsg0DQrb5AXOQVrOATRLTTD7ka/s960/IMG-0696.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="960" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4N1ceQvs7B0KKzao1fD5BOftUIhshuLTgM8tX3g164PrEcqK6g-AE_EtADsKUKMA059VZJwvZrWiqZQJN7VJEWj1dQTofAlp3PhRhs6zuY0-OGPhJ-YhP7uhM5tgQH5PAU3tDc5Nm8ofm-wRMn8nWFhLfvwrnuPnWJhsg0DQrb5AXOQVrOATRLTTD7ka/w400-h385/IMG-0696.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade and Cheryl Hudson present the AFRO-BETS Kids at the <br />Portsmouth, VA Public Library to an audience that includes their son Stephan in 1987. </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">There was clearly a need. There were few books for
children and young adults that featured Black characters and that drew from
Black history, culture and experiences. And we knew there was a demand. We had
had trouble finding for our two children, books that featured characters who
looked like them and stories that reflected their experiences and heritage. We
knew other Black parents and teachers faced the same difficulty.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">It wasn’t a long discussion. We decided to step out on
faith just as our ancestors had done before us. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Just Us Books was born. We chose that name
because, simply, it was just the two of us.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J9JOFKUPdXJJkpi52j_ALolMpzD-GXohfTRc7SZdM4FGm0hnbZP1YJ0lBq3CZ8k_uvCp3cZx3QRay_BPhdjO7lVR5fsHbIdWHndTrv1y10NDY5R4PzD3qK7E6RvoKw6cwsetkIp6ROF_8U4d8MRAB_8NUh_Mqgyv8gStwruDNXnlG4EWeGcnkhmZC_Nx/s452/IMG-9299.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="452" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J9JOFKUPdXJJkpi52j_ALolMpzD-GXohfTRc7SZdM4FGm0hnbZP1YJ0lBq3CZ8k_uvCp3cZx3QRay_BPhdjO7lVR5fsHbIdWHndTrv1y10NDY5R4PzD3qK7E6RvoKw6cwsetkIp6ROF_8U4d8MRAB_8NUh_Mqgyv8gStwruDNXnlG4EWeGcnkhmZC_Nx/w400-h348/IMG-9299.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Just Us Books staff poses for a photo in 1992</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">Much has changed over these 35 years. We entered an industry in the 80s when only a handful of Black book creators were widely recognized such as Virginia Hamilton, Tom Feelings, Mildred Taylor, Walter Dean Myers, Eloise Greenfield, George Ford and James Haskins. Black editors, art directors and marketing professionals were few and far between. There were very few in-person book tours by children’s book authors or illustrators and making a national best-sellers list like the <i>New York Times</i> was a far-off dream. </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Over time, however, we
have seen more Black and other book creators of color enter the industry. There
has been an uptick in the number of BIPOC people in publishing positions. Black
and book creators of color have won major industry awards and the bestseller
lists are no longer nearly all white. We would like to think that Just Us Books
has played a role in helping to achieve this progress.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsH8Hjdo7jAuBtieqMibHn_MF-OHOGwOhCgqAw8AoyxE4pTngFSBccwOUA7XOYL8pEvtzUZ74U1DzkUB1_7ucF00rWgT1KY5UI1mriVGZf00fWeBNq-Acnb0oGz8AbEbSiNgwK4VXmQypbcSBivHj4-K8r7xMl2ktRhAvIlI_RSCmjQpfpbfTDTLp-2hF/s1056/IMG-9942.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1056" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsH8Hjdo7jAuBtieqMibHn_MF-OHOGwOhCgqAw8AoyxE4pTngFSBccwOUA7XOYL8pEvtzUZ74U1DzkUB1_7ucF00rWgT1KY5UI1mriVGZf00fWeBNq-Acnb0oGz8AbEbSiNgwK4VXmQypbcSBivHj4-K8r7xMl2ktRhAvIlI_RSCmjQpfpbfTDTLp-2hF/w400-h296/IMG-9942.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Loretta Long reads her book Courtney's Birthday Party at a school visit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">But so many challenges
still remain. Books by Black creators are still a </span><a href="https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/books-by-and-or-about-poc-2018/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">small
percentage</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> of the total number published every year. There is still a
disparity in advances and royalties paid to Black and BIPOC authors and
illustrators versus what’s paid to those who are white. Nearly </span><a href="https://includr.org/perspective/why-is-the-publishing-industry-still-so-white/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">80
percent</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> of the publishing companies staff are white. Most books by BIPOC
authors and illustrators are not marketed as vigorously as those of white
authors and illustrators. The </span><a href="https://medium.com/bipoc-critics-collective/black-books-dont-sell-d08a47078b8b" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">myth
that books by Black creators don’t sell</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> is still a major barrier. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">And most recently, book banning, and the
closing of school libraries have added to the list of challenges as efforts to
undo the progress that has been made intensify.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">We face these issues as
we have done in the past. With resolve. Advocating and agitating for inclusion,
diversity and equity ─ and doing the important work of sharing good stories that
reflect a full range of experiences that center Black children, children of
color and others who are marginalized. That same determination still drives us even
as we must prepare to pass the baton to the next generations. We will do so
assured that the struggle to create an industry and a world that is more just and
equitable will continue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">Just Us Books’ 35 years
have been quite a journey. As with any business endeavor, there have been
periods of exciting milestones, disappointments, economic challenges, and many
peaks and valleys. We have seen far too many other publishing ventures close
their doors. Thankfully, as the Langston Hughes declared in his 1957 poem,
we’re “Still Here.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf1jjIYZbcYUezp14QdI12AjeHv5ABVbwaln_2-ouW5A8U9yV9n1UU3MFhhPow23AamQXwcVWC-QdZlUew0EziCQQhJS8F2a1_6aoYSOq0RaqVhdJU5RKcOS7h53LUssQ19Hp1QES4H2b1him8vez6QDaUN1igf56LvvmqQdvfJ_etkdLkhJ9lxROkRDb/s1535/IMG-7881.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf1jjIYZbcYUezp14QdI12AjeHv5ABVbwaln_2-ouW5A8U9yV9n1UU3MFhhPow23AamQXwcVWC-QdZlUew0EziCQQhJS8F2a1_6aoYSOq0RaqVhdJU5RKcOS7h53LUssQ19Hp1QES4H2b1him8vez6QDaUN1igf56LvvmqQdvfJ_etkdLkhJ9lxROkRDb/w324-h400/IMG-7881.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A parent reads the AFRO-BETS A B C Book to their child,<br /> decades after the title's initial publication</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">We are so grateful to the many Just Us Books authors, illustrators, publishing industry professionals and dedicated Just Us Books staff members who have partnered with us on this journey. We appreciate all the parents, teachers, administrators, librarians, booksellers, young readers, and other supporters who have been such an important part of this history too. In so many ways, we are all like family. There would be no Just Us Books, and certainly no 35 years, without you. </span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0grRsw4zgwBnPfEzbPpP8tsrHoy9W30dYxWZYGasA7lYl6qNwpvpGipbzNGge6fvaD5oTPG9dW0KC0vWNhaGYeGVHKEA3YllxUftaSrLj-KjiW4XBtiHO4SBR8yIYSLn6SCzfbeg6U4J4rxF3I2qVgQ4yWPghIctBadLV6FN8Mhi6_luBO124kfuXLysp/s2048/IMG-0354.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="2048" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0grRsw4zgwBnPfEzbPpP8tsrHoy9W30dYxWZYGasA7lYl6qNwpvpGipbzNGge6fvaD5oTPG9dW0KC0vWNhaGYeGVHKEA3YllxUftaSrLj-KjiW4XBtiHO4SBR8yIYSLn6SCzfbeg6U4J4rxF3I2qVgQ4yWPghIctBadLV6FN8Mhi6_luBO124kfuXLysp/w400-h303/IMG-0354.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade and Cheryl Hudson celebrate the publication of <br />We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with contributors and <br />author and illustrator friends at the Celebrating Our Voices event<br />held at North Carolina Central University.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">And so, we’re still here and we continue, embracing the journey ahead. Creating good books that make a difference in the lives of children everywhere.</span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcZsR91IaxadctqeD4rbYUVNsAyBd7WC-1zeYKn3dr_KA0r8uGYSF2eVe1x7aE9v4jMtRtbIBO7x0uQ9HPFGLqBXN6_dUeeCNyNPOsEyg4odSzic1-TfJDstR5daQKWpDVUr0EffBO7FV5OfpcsksFUedLHaAh6F4IvtNILwNXLnFhhoSITqnSJGZQu6Z/s4032/IMG-9400.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcZsR91IaxadctqeD4rbYUVNsAyBd7WC-1zeYKn3dr_KA0r8uGYSF2eVe1x7aE9v4jMtRtbIBO7x0uQ9HPFGLqBXN6_dUeeCNyNPOsEyg4odSzic1-TfJDstR5daQKWpDVUr0EffBO7FV5OfpcsksFUedLHaAh6F4IvtNILwNXLnFhhoSITqnSJGZQu6Z/w300-h400/IMG-9400.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just Us Books founders Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p></p></div>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-27002553265242248592023-09-22T09:39:00.010-04:002023-10-01T08:10:18.064-04:00Just Us Books, Nation’s Leading Black Owned Children’s Book Publisher, Celebrates 35th Anniversary<div style="text-align: left;"><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(West Orange, NJ) September 22, 2023 ─ The average life span of a small business is eight and a half years according to The New York Times. As Just Us Books prepares to celebrate 35 years in business, it’s not only beating the odds, it’s also continuing to blaze a trail, publishing children’s books that center and celebrate Black stories, history and culture.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">“Just Us Books’ 35th anniversary is not just a celebration of our company,” says Wade Hudson, CEO and co-founder. “It’s a recognition of 35 years of children reading, learning, growing, and being affirmed through stories that reflect the richness of Black culture and history, which is especially important in today’s climate of banned and challenged books.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The company plans to celebrate the milestone throughout its 35th year, which begins October 1, 2023, with special content and events, including a bookfair being planned for spring.</span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“We’re reminded every day ─ by teachers, librarians, parents, readers of all ages ─ that our work, our books are needed,” says Cheryl Hudson, Editorial Director and co-founder of Just Us Books. “Their support has been such a big part of Just Us Books’ journey. So we’re looking forward to celebrating this milestone with our extended community throughout the year.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1800" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPsE3VAlSZOulo8WXDjAY41Hg2b0l_WHydelSH0G3aumWsAz-MNeGrg89U7M4g9mxR4rwsVkzIus8T-R7UBdxJ_rn9jXyPsvui4X1_IdCcwqlpLrZACis7qIXA1bHYzknr4Pystxe_UAKWZCku9WSKwi3MuC6369gv3NJ7wui1xbMX_QhbwfuYh6f9e9B/w400-h166/HOME%20PAGE%20CAROUSEL_Just%20Us%20Books%20-%20Celebrates%2035%20Years%20of%20Publishing_0002.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Just Us Books journey began in the early 1980s. Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson, who live in East Orange, NJ, were parents in search of children's books that reflected the diversity of Black history, heritage and experiences. Disappointed by the number they found and their limited availability, the couple embarked upon a mission: to create the kind of positive, Black-interest books that they wanted for their own two children.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Combining their experience, Wade’s in writing and marketing, Cheryl’s in art and publishing, they developed ideas for books that shared universal children’s themes from an Afrocentric perspective. The couple presented manuscripts to publishing houses but they were repeatedly turned down ― several publishing professionals even doubting the viability of a market for children’s books featuring Black characters. So the Hudsons decided to publish the books themselves. The </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">AFRO-BETS A B C Book</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> was released in 1987 and Just Us Books was incorporated a year later.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The
success of the small press soon proved doubters wrong. Titles including </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975026/?_ga=2.113790535.1185919447.1695562862-2082142896.1641051344" target="_blank">Bookof Black Heroes From A to Z</a> </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">and </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975231/?_ga=2.113790535.1185919447.1695562862-2082142896.1641051344" target="_blank">Bright Eyes, Brown Skin</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> became
classroom and library staples. And larger publishing companies followed Just Us
Books’ lead, publishing and widely distributing more children’s books featuring
diverse stories and characters.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The
company’s 35-year history has been marked by numerous accomplishments including
a production partnership with Crown, an imprint of Random House, which produced
the three anthologies including the award-winning </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0525580454/" target="_blank">We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">; a 1999 marketing partnership with General Mills and the
UniverSoul Circus; and the publication of </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In Praise of Our Fathers and Our
Mothers</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">, a book about the Black family that brought together celebrated
authors and artists, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Virginia Hamilton, Walter Dean
Myers, Jeanne Moutousammy-Ashe, Leo and Diane Dillon, Fred and Patricia
McKissack. Its books, including </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">From A Child’s Heart</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">; </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Secret
Olivia Told Me</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-1-603490-22-1/?_ga=2.205194832.1185919447.1695562862-2082142896.1641051344" target="_blank">I’m A Big Sister Now</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-1-603490-22-1/?_ga=2.205194832.1185919447.1695562862-2082142896.1641051344" target="_blank"> </a>and </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/" target="_blank">Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">, have earned numerous awards. Just Us Books has won
multiple honors, including Small Business Pioneer of the Year, the Children’s
Book Council Diversity Award, and its founders have become recognized leaders
in publishing and the push for diversity in children’s literature, with the
couple being awarded the prestigious <a href="https://justusbooks.blogspot.com/2022/09/just-us-books-founders-wade-and-cheryl.html" target="_blank">Carle Honor for Mentorship</a> in 2022. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoMhaAD7tG0T56b9bUv0Kr4tFGhEeKUDyHjZlbPy82H-7x562ZxGp9qQ4LcOUVZPKJxaxJy9ah5UlKrSeNfXFFNjE6AL5rWOUsCKC1g-9dkD7lvN_1cdfOit0QExICQ3Y4--bma4n1Fv2vY-Ex1WYtfY1MSMvd1oSBpMqiPzBbk4oq9c-WqspU2Yto7QR/w400-h300/Useni%20and%20Laura%20author%20visit%20in%20DC.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">In 35 years of operation, Just Us Books has become more than a children's book publishing company; it's become an institution. It also remains one of the nation's few Black-owned publishers. And the company continues its mission grounded in the same belief that helped launch the company three and a half decades ago: Good books make a difference.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Just Us Books’ titles can be purchased wherever
books are sold and via its website: <a href="http://justusbooks.com">justusbooks.com</a>. Connect with the company
on social at @JustUsBooks across all platforms.</b></i></span></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-48160171228146599722023-08-08T20:22:00.003-04:002023-08-08T20:32:02.186-04:00Back to School Kidlit Picks <p> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpLY4ASGBGYFCz0JpUP8tcsvh2LErDWLNR3EeSUekCaGkd8QFZCV5Ii_17Q8Fwh_93VoZESCJ4C09yN2VuE533n43WJ7fUAdBrmlk9GdQG5Pjvt_bXKMU3my1m2FaXQ7XrZLBx5uz_mq04LKwW2SiIqu2vcXDIJJkgRf-4D40t2-wR9SOB9RLd1DkV8RP/s1438/Im%20Going%20to%20Be%20interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1438" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpLY4ASGBGYFCz0JpUP8tcsvh2LErDWLNR3EeSUekCaGkd8QFZCV5Ii_17Q8Fwh_93VoZESCJ4C09yN2VuE533n43WJ7fUAdBrmlk9GdQG5Pjvt_bXKMU3my1m2FaXQ7XrZLBx5uz_mq04LKwW2SiIqu2vcXDIJJkgRf-4D40t2-wR9SOB9RLd1DkV8RP/w400-h278/Im%20Going%20to%20Be%20interior.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Image copyright Nancy Devard, published in Afro-Bets Kids I'm Going to Be by Wade Hudson</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>It’s back to school season. Whether your young scholars are excited, anxious, or wishing summer break would last forever – there's a book out there for them. Start with our back-to-school</span><span> kidlit picks, available at our</span><span> </span><span style="color: red;"><b><a href="https://justusbooks.com/" style="color: red;" target="_blank">online store</a>.</b></span></span></p><div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781603490085/" target="_blank">Places I Love to Go</a></span>, by Wade Hudson,<br />illustrated by Laura Freeman, ages 2-5</span><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V3iNRscrnxM/V8hZEr3_75I/AAAAAAAABYw/v_MWTPqN5-swkdjlNVh_dKxvW6AbZnfGACLcB/s1600/JUB%2BPlaces%2BI%2BLove%2BTo%2BGo_front%2Bcover.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V3iNRscrnxM/V8hZEr3_75I/AAAAAAAABYw/v_MWTPqN5-swkdjlNVh_dKxvW6AbZnfGACLcB/s320/JUB%2BPlaces%2BI%2BLove%2BTo%2BGo_front%2Bcover.jpg" width="315" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSn5VsuVvsMYkuPUER4QBh-sfGF4j_PM9ucMIqs1EEfOgJNU9gk5HlslbVeL7dbdvR2xSzfh83HbcJmqqlmZXoxvC4RXjfROUB4_MGhLUVU4IS82fWuefZfR2C4WhUkp_oIxzgYnX9h4/s1600/JUB+INTERIOR_Places+I+Love+To+Go-4.jpg"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSn5VsuVvsMYkuPUER4QBh-sfGF4j_PM9ucMIqs1EEfOgJNU9gk5HlslbVeL7dbdvR2xSzfh83HbcJmqqlmZXoxvC4RXjfROUB4_MGhLUVU4IS82fWuefZfR2C4WhUkp_oIxzgYnX9h4/s320/JUB+INTERIOR_Places+I+Love+To+Go-4.jpg" width="319" /></a><br /><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Follow a group of children as they experience the excitement of visiting their favorite places – including school. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-1-933491-49-3/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Afro-Bets Kids I'm Going to Be</a><br />by Wade Hudson, illustrated by Nancy Devard, ages 4-8</span></span><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBH9wBZFygkA1EZrxKNtYnTuqD13eSu1UVJIjkDE8g5nHRMZh7AjzpuVmvEUxReOSuR6xIU7yc51GfWv4y_kkExYitUrdoD2gte6NTnlw92m1OU4cT5GKibOTyC1_9n3P65ddG1SEzjyhOcd2C7Cie7zTREMrfi3BkjPyNUCR3oakvB8DrSucEiIz7SzW/s1246/COVER_AFRO-BETS_-_Im_Going_To_Be_2018-2_for_JUB_brochure__71464.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBH9wBZFygkA1EZrxKNtYnTuqD13eSu1UVJIjkDE8g5nHRMZh7AjzpuVmvEUxReOSuR6xIU7yc51GfWv4y_kkExYitUrdoD2gte6NTnlw92m1OU4cT5GKibOTyC1_9n3P65ddG1SEzjyhOcd2C7Cie7zTREMrfi3BkjPyNUCR3oakvB8DrSucEiIz7SzW/w309-h400/COVER_AFRO-BETS_-_Im_Going_To_Be_2018-2_for_JUB_brochure__71464.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></span><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The Afro-Bets Kids have an important class project: to think about the careers they might be interested in pursuing. There are so many exciting options: astronaut, athlete, educator, film director, architect. And there are great Black leaders in those fields, too such as Dr. Mae C. Jemison, LeBron James, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ava DuVernay, Sir David J. Adjaye and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. Learn about these great achievers and their careers as the AFRO-BETS Kids (Tura, Stef, Nandi, Robo, Langston and Glo) research and use their imagination to explore what they'll be when they grow up.</span></div></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781603490276/" target="_blank">Aloha for Carol Ann</a></span></b></span>, by Margo Sorenson, illustrated by Priscilla Burris, ages 4-7</span></span><br /><br /></span><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zkHZUcaXbo8/V8hZQ59boAI/AAAAAAAABZA/Dp8djANhkZAL1hOGaVfgmIadVw5Ns2gkwCLcB/s1600/JUB%2BALOHA_FOR_CAROL_ANN.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zkHZUcaXbo8/V8hZQ59boAI/AAAAAAAABZA/Dp8djANhkZAL1hOGaVfgmIadVw5Ns2gkwCLcB/s320/JUB%2BALOHA_FOR_CAROL_ANN.jpg" width="253" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Beautiful palm trees, pretty flowers and a warm breeze are all waiting to welcome 8-year-old Carol Ann to her new school in Hawaii. But Carol Ann doesn’t want a new school. She doesn’t want new friends, or palm trees or a warm breeze. She wants her old friends. She wants her old home. She wants things the way they used to be. How will she remember her new classmates’ names? Who will she play with at recess? How will she ever feel at home in this new place? Then the teacher introduces Carol Ann to the term, aloha. She says the little word means hello, welcome and a lot more. Carol Ann finds out for just how much aloha means as she makes a place for herself at her new school.</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>“In this story of starting at a new school and making friends, Carol Ann is soon saying ‘Aloha’ ... the book should prove reassuring to children in similar situations.”</i> - Publisher's Weekly</span><br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJmWrUf1nxI/V8hZNRa3_ZI/AAAAAAAABY8/eL-3ZAiyUOIJW0XZiNl2qP56IpctoYssgCLcB/s1600/JUB%2BINTERIOR_Jamal%2527s%2BBusy%2BDay_no%2Bcrops-13.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJmWrUf1nxI/V8hZNRa3_ZI/AAAAAAAABY8/eL-3ZAiyUOIJW0XZiNl2qP56IpctoYssgCLcB/s320/JUB%2BINTERIOR_Jamal%2527s%2BBusy%2BDay_no%2Bcrops-13.jpg" width="248" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975248/" target="_blank">Jamal’s Busy Day</a></span></b>, by Wade Hudson, illustrated by George Ford, ages 4-7</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Meet Jamal – an energetic boy who shows just how demanding and eventful his day is as a student. He "works with numbers" in math class, does "research" in the library, has "meetings to attend" in the school auditorium, and occasionally settles schoolyard "disagreements between [his] co-workers." </span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>“The upbeat message is that both parents and children can "work hard" and accomplish much in their respective arenas: all have something to contribute and all work has value.”</i> -Publisher’s Weekly</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491097/" target="_blank">Path to My African Eyes</a></span></b>, by Ermilla Moodley, ages 11-14</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Being a teenager is tough enough. But imagine starting freshman year a new high school that's not just in a new city, but a new country? That's life for 14-year-old Thandie Sobukwe.</span><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHc2UxR1J7l2gxsmiKNueOfnNNdBLI0AuIxhbd6YTV761_Qtb31ZTDJKyEncfDAZ1tjyltBsOdxNPbW6InoQNtljQRFnxVw77EyKAX6m0xXvshk5Xfs7IC6ovl-VrLZXiA9wgt5oMeBQ0/s1600/JUB+Path-to-my-African-Eyes__55589_1304563089_1280_500.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHc2UxR1J7l2gxsmiKNueOfnNNdBLI0AuIxhbd6YTV761_Qtb31ZTDJKyEncfDAZ1tjyltBsOdxNPbW6InoQNtljQRFnxVw77EyKAX6m0xXvshk5Xfs7IC6ovl-VrLZXiA9wgt5oMeBQ0/s320/JUB+Path-to-my-African-Eyes__55589_1304563089_1280_500.jpg" width="206" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">When her father is transferred from his position as a professor at a Capetown, South Africa university to Buena Vista, California, Thandie Sobukwe says goodbye to her friends, family and favorites places and hello to self-doubt, rejection and cultural confusion. Everything from the way she looks to the way she speaks, and even the way she thinks is questioned, mocked or simply misunderstood. Thandie's struggling to be comfortable in her skin, but between her California girl dreams, ambivalent feelings about Black American culture, and sensitivity about the ethnic background she thinks makes her stand out too much, she doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. Thandie's facing a real dilemma: How can you be true to yourself when you're trying to discover who you are?</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>“clearly delineated issues facing young African students in this country as well as those of any teen entering a new school in the middle of the year. Many girls will recognize Thandi's conflicts with her parents and her longing to fit in, and celebrate her progress.”</i> - School Library Journal</span><br /><br /><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491127/" target="_blank">12 Brown Boys</a></span></b>, by Omar Tyree, ages 9-12</span><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47MQdFDrAyfs93u4ub7MLLFwBXrJwUhPi3TfzrS0_C9uTV2IKXRscA5y92uJumSNsv5yNMTvvfg5fHwwb1zBy4yytM2CgsbfOoIBWDbyVR_ZqRF-kqBzd6U2Us7yUQ4SvFujRZ54uCPw/s1600/JUB+12-Brown-Boys__74793_1304560525_1280_500.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47MQdFDrAyfs93u4ub7MLLFwBXrJwUhPi3TfzrS0_C9uTV2IKXRscA5y92uJumSNsv5yNMTvvfg5fHwwb1zBy4yytM2CgsbfOoIBWDbyVR_ZqRF-kqBzd6U2Us7yUQ4SvFujRZ54uCPw/s320/JUB+12-Brown-Boys__74793_1304560525_1280_500.jpg" width="216" /></span></a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: inherit;">Best-selling author Omar Tyree makes his children's book debut with 12 Brown Boys, a collection of short stories for middle readers that focus on the lives of Black pre-teen boys. Readers will connect with Tyree's engaging characters. There is Santa Monica scholar-entrepreneur and all around super kid William; Red Head Mike who hates his nickname, but hates his red hair even more; Chestnut, who is sent to live with relatives down south to keep him out of trouble in his Brooklyn neighborhood, and Wayne, who resents his role as the oldest child until a tragedy strikes the family. Tyree has assembled a wide range of characters that reflect the diversity of experiences of Black boys - characters that are funny, serious, edgy, street-wise, studious, and all unforgettable.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-33605607359241816982023-05-10T06:00:00.000-04:002023-05-10T06:24:18.573-04:00We Remember Useni Eugene Perkins<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJPVkttyHzo3z53G25r0H_lR2papdBx3tHrso2ZH4zCfIj41CBtwg4LX-qQwo8OlbhL9YVPDnY12bHcr8UJMg5t5vCWpGMVjOkl2SrmA-JdWNbIP2HDUCHeeCIbTpx4feWUkmRdtDw_EgQyMdfFe8EDirOjK4o_fT1SzToqe64hmBc8qyIT3bYc6YSw/s684/IMG-2446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJPVkttyHzo3z53G25r0H_lR2papdBx3tHrso2ZH4zCfIj41CBtwg4LX-qQwo8OlbhL9YVPDnY12bHcr8UJMg5t5vCWpGMVjOkl2SrmA-JdWNbIP2HDUCHeeCIbTpx4feWUkmRdtDw_EgQyMdfFe8EDirOjK4o_fT1SzToqe64hmBc8qyIT3bYc6YSw/w303-h320/IMG-2446.JPG" width="303" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Activist, social worker, poet, scholar, educator, and playwright Useni Eugene Perkins has joined the ancestors at the age of 90. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“We have known Useni for many years and marveled at his dedication and contributions to the Black community and to Black arts,” said Wade Hudson, president and CEO of Just Us Books. “He was a good brother!”</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Just Us Books published two of Useni's works, <i>Poetry From The Masters: The Black Arts Movement</i> in 2009, and <i><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/" target="_blank">Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence</a></i>, illustrated by Laura Freeman. His most recent published children’s book, it won the 2022 Children’s Africana Book Awards <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.blogspot.com/2022/11/kwame-nkrumahs-midnight-speech-for.html&source=gmail&ust=1683762008660000&usg=AOvVaw3moyEOrlWHohour7NEMc-k" href="https://justusbooks.blogspot.com/2022/11/kwame-nkrumahs-midnight-speech-for.html" mcafee_aps="true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Best Book for Young Children</a> and was called "Essential reading for any and all future (and current) freedom fighters” in a </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">Kirkus</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> starred review.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A celebrated member of the Black Arts Movement, Useni Eugene Perkins was born in Chicago on September 13, 1932. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Following military service, he earned bachelors and masters degrees from George Williams College. He went on to leverage his studies in social work in a career focused on the social development of urban youth, serving as Executive Director of the Better Boys Foundation Family Center in Chicago and in leadership roles with the Urban League of Portland, the DuSable Museum, and Chicago State University Family Life Center.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMFR60YlWy3sUE7IyAagtGkXF099fawhz2MZnPWbrw9ERNdSyfl7ICpv-RxbNkt1TDcwOG4uxYiSzT2qGuI7obq3bv4sV1NH37_iWLgwAbT9hr9ZLRwSzQ0eT-EsjhtqLn3GtlUBTv0_06pPhpQ9qsmEaiLBntHUiU8YfyXjPpuC8MCd-HdjiJL4shw/s1440/IMG-2442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMFR60YlWy3sUE7IyAagtGkXF099fawhz2MZnPWbrw9ERNdSyfl7ICpv-RxbNkt1TDcwOG4uxYiSzT2qGuI7obq3bv4sV1NH37_iWLgwAbT9hr9ZLRwSzQ0eT-EsjhtqLn3GtlUBTv0_06pPhpQ9qsmEaiLBntHUiU8YfyXjPpuC8MCd-HdjiJL4shw/s320/IMG-2442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Useni’s dedication to strengthening his community and his work advocating for youth translated to the written word as well, through books of poetry such as Black is Beautiful and plays including “Image Makers.” In 1975, his poem “Hey Black Child” served as the closing song for his children’s musical “Black Fairy and Other Plays.” Public recitations, including young <a href="https://youtu.be/5n_DeHMVAkM" target="_blank">Pe’Tehn’s viral performance</a> decades later introduced the poem to new audiences, though it was sometimes wrongfully attributed to other greats such as Countee Cullen and Maya Angelou. In 2017, Hey, Black Child was published as a picture book illustrated by Bryan Collier and received a starred review from </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic;">Kirkus</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">.</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJ0ONqR5VhviufGwkc8aOdfkZjLLUmUIBRB77VCs7KVvNJewPOAHYDXN-eLUHGMs865Pv-YIRd0p_5R0MNqw8I7k_WvO7NUyRB4v0pa0iUToEGx68MHdzqAij1wzKvQLwu1LDRbrpJu-ea4J2RSXrtFQRqjs86mkR0pGrKd0oOFj_90ENOlnqgD5Wzw/s1600/Hey%20Black%20Child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJ0ONqR5VhviufGwkc8aOdfkZjLLUmUIBRB77VCs7KVvNJewPOAHYDXN-eLUHGMs865Pv-YIRd0p_5R0MNqw8I7k_WvO7NUyRB4v0pa0iUToEGx68MHdzqAij1wzKvQLwu1LDRbrpJu-ea4J2RSXrtFQRqjs86mkR0pGrKd0oOFj_90ENOlnqgD5Wzw/s320/Hey%20Black%20Child.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“I’m honored that my poem has been associated with these two gifted writers, but I’m glad the world can now learn about the poem’s true roots,” Useni said.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Useni penned many other books including </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">An Apology to My African Brothe</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">r; </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">Silhouette</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">; </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">Home Is a Dirty Street: The Social Oppression of Black Children</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">; </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">Pride of Race</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">; and </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">Midnight Blues in the Afternoon and Other Poems</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">His contributions to literature and the Black community have been recognized with numerous awards, notably induction into the Gwendolyn Brooks Literary Hall of Fame and inclusion in HistoryMakers.com, a digital archive dedicated to preserving histories of African Americans. Useni’s play “If We Must Die,” about the 1921 Tulsa massacre, earned him an award from The Black Network for Excellence in Playwriting in 2002. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNf2O8cFZKlrat1G62De0-Xs1Gsd1LARmPPHJ7jR8QiyVfhal65Z8jtJvtDaI75kL2PTMIbe9TLOQK-whUp9ttcx_lyoD1j17m5bfN-frUNZy7jSj-1UQngLcKgTRUYJXWpoMTAcyWqMRxdZULk5uQUTr_FW-I3GyL6SauDKItA6iar06Mg_L7sp-wA/s320/IMG-2445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNf2O8cFZKlrat1G62De0-Xs1Gsd1LARmPPHJ7jR8QiyVfhal65Z8jtJvtDaI75kL2PTMIbe9TLOQK-whUp9ttcx_lyoD1j17m5bfN-frUNZy7jSj-1UQngLcKgTRUYJXWpoMTAcyWqMRxdZULk5uQUTr_FW-I3GyL6SauDKItA6iar06Mg_L7sp-wA/s1600/IMG-2445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Useni travelled to Ghana extensively, experiences that inspired his picture book on Ghana’s President Kwame Nkrumah years later. In 2007 he was inducted into the Gefia Society in Akatsi, Volta Region, Ghana and installed as their Academic Development Chief under the stool name of Torgbui Perkins Agbale I.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We lift up the memory of Brother Useni, his important work and his commitment to our people, especially our youth. May it continue to inspire us all. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-AvWaYKM9B1K3A1qJzYqlyCN3vd42qJY2InmswSjS3zgKTn7vSvxHcUeoW_IiklfnFFi2M9vk6rxOom0Ru3Hxr4TAsnaIgMdOdpOAGISqHQCma4yNZab0cULRmrxOZnzXn2B2IadjkhRSXHqROmf3_AOQ5UDaMii5iXIrnC38nYRgbw-nvPDvBKOIw/s1079/IMG-2441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1079" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-AvWaYKM9B1K3A1qJzYqlyCN3vd42qJY2InmswSjS3zgKTn7vSvxHcUeoW_IiklfnFFi2M9vk6rxOom0Ru3Hxr4TAsnaIgMdOdpOAGISqHQCma4yNZab0cULRmrxOZnzXn2B2IadjkhRSXHqROmf3_AOQ5UDaMii5iXIrnC38nYRgbw-nvPDvBKOIw/s320/IMG-2441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-80718772970908477002022-12-11T08:19:00.009-05:002022-12-11T14:41:17.339-05:00Holiday Gift Guide: Kidlit Edition<div class="separator"><p style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #222222; float: right; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">Good books make great gifts, but with so many children's titles available, which should you pick? Whether your favorite young readers are adventure seekers, into the arts, activism, or history, there is a great book waiting for them. Here are suggestions from Just Us Books' collection. </span></span></div><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8kQOOkNkR_JJMjyRs9rF5JEKfLvKhVGHFm43a937YDRo-F-xB6obJ4RZLrqKV4EUxkEJDD3n-Ve6PY_f-mowNnx-dZshdFxYd7hgRstVATK2SoFMeFWxIrYnE8Ht5IC3YRmJ3n-T5gn1cRuiuE_-aJjP_E6nIH0NziXF6NjB0eBK7cKp3uGTZ0Z8cQ/s2048/E20A6D4C-6AA6-4F7A-BAFB-41EE86F44C36.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="2048" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8kQOOkNkR_JJMjyRs9rF5JEKfLvKhVGHFm43a937YDRo-F-xB6obJ4RZLrqKV4EUxkEJDD3n-Ve6PY_f-mowNnx-dZshdFxYd7hgRstVATK2SoFMeFWxIrYnE8Ht5IC3YRmJ3n-T5gn1cRuiuE_-aJjP_E6nIH0NziXF6NjB0eBK7cKp3uGTZ0Z8cQ/w400-h196/E20A6D4C-6AA6-4F7A-BAFB-41EE86F44C36.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Action</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781605490092/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sights I Love to See</span></a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781603490085/" target="_blank">Places I Love to Go</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781603490016/" target="_blank">I Told You I Could Play</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975712/" target="_blank">Kid Caramel: Case of the Missing Ankh<br /></a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781603490153/" target="_blank">Marvelous Martin</a><br /><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491127/" target="_blank">12 Brown Boys</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Activism</b><span> </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-59312164-1/" target="_blank">The Talk</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0593381595/" target="_blank">Recognize</a> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0525580454/" target="_blank">We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices</a><br /></span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491219/" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Book of Black Heroes: Political Leaders</a></p><p></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>Arts</b><br /><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491172/" target="_blank">Willimena Rules: 9 Steps to the Best, Worst, Greatest Holiday Ever!</a><br /></span></span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491165/" style="font-size: 17px;" target="_blank">Continuum</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Friendship & Family</b></div><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-1-603490-22-1/" target="_blank">I'm a Big Sister Now</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975835/" target="_blank">Courtney's Birthday Party</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781603490054/" target="_blank">It's Church Going Time</a><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975248/" target="_blank">Jamal's Busy Day</a><br /></span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491097/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Path to My African Eyes</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><span></span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491240/" target="_blank">We Could Be Brothers</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>History</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/" target="_blank">Papa's Free Day Party</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/" target="_blank">Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence </a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0593126356/" target="_blank">Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South</a></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975026/" target="_blank">Book of Black Heroes From A to Z</a></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9780940975705/" target="_blank">Reflections of a Black Cowboy</a></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/9781933491110/" target="_blank">Sink or Swim</a></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="color: #222222;">Looking for other selections? Browse and buy at </span><a href="http://JustUsBooks.com"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">JustUsBooks.com</span></a></i></b></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><b><br /></b></span></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-64069394571162724532022-11-06T16:55:00.004-05:002022-12-11T14:47:48.789-05:00Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence Wins Africana Book Award<p><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">We were honored to celebrate with <b>Useni
Eugene Perkins</b> and <b>Laura Freeman </b>as they accepted the 2022 Children’s
Africana Book Awards (CABA) Best Book for Young Children distinction for their
picture book </span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"> this weekend in DC. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8anL2tmyvgM7gUBTis9dHIQNouWxzOfn7HUv93I-xbadyVzUWQ3lD4b4KITlS2tAORVwkVfHgF1SPcRTSjC-vPy7Ri2QlD6TFYNuQYiR1_qFJ7ZyTNQg95NQZhocim8Hv3tKR5IROHl3Y0c3jVdXCtvZ-CW5fBQNIs1uAZZinGObVMhAKClJeZZKFg/s2563/FullSizeRender%20(1).JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2563" data-original-width="2339" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8anL2tmyvgM7gUBTis9dHIQNouWxzOfn7HUv93I-xbadyVzUWQ3lD4b4KITlS2tAORVwkVfHgF1SPcRTSjC-vPy7Ri2QlD6TFYNuQYiR1_qFJ7ZyTNQg95NQZhocim8Hv3tKR5IROHl3Y0c3jVdXCtvZ-CW5fBQNIs1uAZZinGObVMhAKClJeZZKFg/s320/FullSizeRender%20(1).JPEG" width="292" /></a></div><br /><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">The Children’s Africana Book Awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and adult books on Africa published in the U.S. Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) created CABA in 1991 to encourage the publication of and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials about Africa.</span></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZbBWzIOS93wQv3HktemKN1iqfTABv2oadqzK0B8YJ6q6dOnVRzllYmjVw_xv4Wmxjgy0e7se7ynqLiTaykTLGyfV1l908mKXEC492yUHiCQ0vpybuOYlNNDHuvhJZWgFv1vMkLoiIzlVwNP3YqhLLSLiVZFi57KgWoXajqLLs4asMvViwhbRY6oFZg/s4032/IMG-8674.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZbBWzIOS93wQv3HktemKN1iqfTABv2oadqzK0B8YJ6q6dOnVRzllYmjVw_xv4Wmxjgy0e7se7ynqLiTaykTLGyfV1l908mKXEC492yUHiCQ0vpybuOYlNNDHuvhJZWgFv1vMkLoiIzlVwNP3YqhLLSLiVZFi57KgWoXajqLLs4asMvViwhbRY6oFZg/s320/IMG-8674.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4gDnYFoxD5PZcOqupjWrFXr1ZjszYsuxgSov2bgIWpygZrT6R9owIYFazxoLV5Fvsfg-uGvxhdSjvnbfoO5F7TeyaGdTH3ufamjRUeYp09m4LApWKdK4ctHZZMqTPSAlgUc2-xfF_FYlkzifXKGmUV6mHU92IXj17xEVZ2sBA529ujQmeffW7slDdw/s4032/IMG-8686.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4gDnYFoxD5PZcOqupjWrFXr1ZjszYsuxgSov2bgIWpygZrT6R9owIYFazxoLV5Fvsfg-uGvxhdSjvnbfoO5F7TeyaGdTH3ufamjRUeYp09m4LApWKdK4ctHZZMqTPSAlgUc2-xfF_FYlkzifXKGmUV6mHU92IXj17xEVZ2sBA529ujQmeffW7slDdw/s320/IMG-8686.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">The two-day celebration included an
awards presentation on Friday, Nov. 4 and a festival at the </span><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #2f2f2f; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Smithsonian National Museum of African Art </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">on Saturday, Nov. 5, featuring book signings, drumming, writing
workshops and a panel with this year’s </span><a href="https://cfas.howard.edu/caba/2022"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">CABA winners</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">, who discussed their creative process, research and
collaboration in creating their award-winning books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you to CABA for this honor
and to Useni and Laura for collaborating with Just Us Books to create this
important title!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvOwbLOyxZxlX9J0PpTMlZolJ39YMZEKu4wpMiXfB3-ecriSY2GDshjCHiHFi6UmP37bQ3te-qFGMMFe2xvC5Rcn-AGg-TlODtTcUVs3qADiKzy69L63xloVilvrnyQfvD5P9qzMCtzOwTxVZR5hvOFpJfsevedu6Zr3PmZRLtzLMVCSFTLXmeKLXLw/s3501/IMG-8729.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1748" data-original-width="3501" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvOwbLOyxZxlX9J0PpTMlZolJ39YMZEKu4wpMiXfB3-ecriSY2GDshjCHiHFi6UmP37bQ3te-qFGMMFe2xvC5Rcn-AGg-TlODtTcUVs3qADiKzy69L63xloVilvrnyQfvD5P9qzMCtzOwTxVZR5hvOFpJfsevedu6Zr3PmZRLtzLMVCSFTLXmeKLXLw/s320/IMG-8729.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">CABA Author Illustrator panel (pictured from left) Useni Eugene
Perkins, Laura Freeman, Safia Elhilo, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole,
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie, & Brenda Randolph interviewed by Brenda
Randolph,</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> </span><span>chair of CABA and founder of
Africa Access. Not pictured: Vanessa Oyugi.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8F3srzGeZUkMvs7CJLywCWuuf_ovdd-bKpeR4IJAMqjA7m3LhVptHtsp--q6RfEzvIgKAdZ7lolwf20mhgOoJVJ6KPtlXlefsjdJSa9a-_VBjxJGo-P-T3ht_dHFqW3VDN_dC8Hh4qypJyOdnNlEeZJY13b6gJEaENCZEU5r04BIfjaFQlXaSUFpeLg/s4032/IMG-8633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8F3srzGeZUkMvs7CJLywCWuuf_ovdd-bKpeR4IJAMqjA7m3LhVptHtsp--q6RfEzvIgKAdZ7lolwf20mhgOoJVJ6KPtlXlefsjdJSa9a-_VBjxJGo-P-T3ht_dHFqW3VDN_dC8Hh4qypJyOdnNlEeZJY13b6gJEaENCZEU5r04BIfjaFQlXaSUFpeLg/s320/IMG-8633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc9mk0RNH3FLQclylyR5dRRowGXW_3YlmOAISj0CIKvyiNrzXJny8YHouQIuGlkS0gD3ZlJcPZ5U_ivESfTiqPR_3SAN3EcuypKQfF4gPfG1GadxP1vq0fOEmkE3Winj2iLB8gTRT_YrHhvA_vYHKUYKnJrM8SnHCnanJ0Pr7jwtN2FKjuVflsCfYjw/s959/IMG-9162.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="959" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc9mk0RNH3FLQclylyR5dRRowGXW_3YlmOAISj0CIKvyiNrzXJny8YHouQIuGlkS0gD3ZlJcPZ5U_ivESfTiqPR_3SAN3EcuypKQfF4gPfG1GadxP1vq0fOEmkE3Winj2iLB8gTRT_YrHhvA_vYHKUYKnJrM8SnHCnanJ0Pr7jwtN2FKjuVflsCfYjw/s320/IMG-9162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bringing a bit of Ghana to the DMV.
Useni Eugene Perkins and Laura Freeman, creators of </span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kwame Nkrumah’s
Midnight Speech for Independence</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span>, visit
Friendship Charter School in DC before the awards event. Special thanks
to Open Book for getting our book into students hands!</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-91724759412859183692022-09-30T13:51:00.004-04:002022-10-10T14:23:34.042-04:00Just Us Books Founders Wade and Cheryl Hudson Receive 2022 Carle Honors Award for Mentorship<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Wade Hudson</b> and <b>Cheryl Willis Hudson, </b>founders of leading independent children's publisher Just Us Books, were recognized for their many contributions to children's literature with a 2022 Carle Honors award from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The award was presented at the Carle Honors Benefit Gala and Art Auction </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">on Thursday, September 29, 2022.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">at Guastavino’s in New York City.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqfk6K_ZIkFM-bAKrV7ryJ9oTqf7We9iD0N0V6yBA1k1iJQ7DQu45N5j13uaaB3DsH5rIz3fBdzUQ9VvmeE1A9tuDc_l3k8fFwVQGVEKRPv-sWBPlQLde11HvVf856dHYXqDckEJzBM-XPkUiaaKrfwxcGcE2tX0-EdvXcuRrBGvPQbJl4r_3gEapjg/s3600/Carle%20Awards%20the%20Hudsons%20outside.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqfk6K_ZIkFM-bAKrV7ryJ9oTqf7We9iD0N0V6yBA1k1iJQ7DQu45N5j13uaaB3DsH5rIz3fBdzUQ9VvmeE1A9tuDc_l3k8fFwVQGVEKRPv-sWBPlQLde11HvVf856dHYXqDckEJzBM-XPkUiaaKrfwxcGcE2tX0-EdvXcuRrBGvPQbJl4r_3gEapjg/s320/Carle%20Awards%20the%20Hudsons%20outside.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2022 Carle Honors mentor awardees Wade and Cheryl Hudson<br />photo: Stephan Hudson</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Now in its 16th year, the annual gala and fundraiser celebrates individuals and organizations whose creative vision and long-term dedication have had a profound effect on picture books and the vital role they play in arts appreciation and early literacy. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.35rem 0px 0.7rem; transition: none 0.25s ease-in 0s;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wade and Cheryl were honored for their contributions as mentors -- reflected in their more than three decades of work as authors, publishers, and leading advocates for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the children’s book industry. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.35rem 0px 0.7rem; transition: none 0.25s ease-in 0s;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Fellow honorees were Faith Ringgold (artist award); <span style="background-color: #f2f2ed;">Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (angel award); and </span>Ajia (bridge award).</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.35rem 0px 0.7rem; transition: none 0.25s ease-in 0s;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A replay of the event is <a href="https://virtualfundraiser.net/Carle/live/" target="_blank">available here</a>.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.35rem 0px 0.7rem; transition: none 0.25s ease-in 0s;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv2ivadGv0OYBCjE1Ejsi3nugfBoGiAzbZsJR2whc-ZRBcR6QwlZfsGOqIoMP2dbMlVuCy-N5JuwYbwe8sErWgxi_OeR1llhHSomGAWPjTy-5J_GIdo6gfDMzgVt_R3fm_g9qWBZCF4pcQUD_JPghdl6JukLGFjmA2SMmdPdYpQDTYWX_Uc9IfihBrw/s3600/2022%20Carle%20Awards%20step%20and%20repeat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv2ivadGv0OYBCjE1Ejsi3nugfBoGiAzbZsJR2whc-ZRBcR6QwlZfsGOqIoMP2dbMlVuCy-N5JuwYbwe8sErWgxi_OeR1llhHSomGAWPjTy-5J_GIdo6gfDMzgVt_R3fm_g9qWBZCF4pcQUD_JPghdl6JukLGFjmA2SMmdPdYpQDTYWX_Uc9IfihBrw/s320/2022%20Carle%20Awards%20step%20and%20repeat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade and Cheryl Hudson are interviewed about their award</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">photo: Stephan Hudson</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH28xCzxoYhP2KAe3yKw_0o-VzqO1veC3gb1rKfjcBUm3PC8HJgllmgCwwk4x_HlfiMMnq4_fvIObhIh2dzCufzX_fmBi4VebrDR_DRKUWVyZJIrbfIKme6ZzGBf0UG9QRiD8qOwcHD3OHiW4qTCQ24Ho2YV0bLuW_FCNMFMYiGUb-nau3b5eOreeg_g/s3600/Carle%20Awards%20honorees.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH28xCzxoYhP2KAe3yKw_0o-VzqO1veC3gb1rKfjcBUm3PC8HJgllmgCwwk4x_HlfiMMnq4_fvIObhIh2dzCufzX_fmBi4VebrDR_DRKUWVyZJIrbfIKme6ZzGBf0UG9QRiD8qOwcHD3OHiW4qTCQ24Ho2YV0bLuW_FCNMFMYiGUb-nau3b5eOreeg_g/s320/Carle%20Awards%20honorees.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2022 Carle Honors awardees<br />photo: Stephan Hudson</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7iHGMLJlGh1bzcsjZjfq1EeIuMJXO03ikNPBWbk2gn4Tmevur2fPs4m63siTFcFrk67rsOlMTCaOEYAl0JYfczoDd3-K72LliA1WEusIGFLXl51LnPh_u-toFohoF6NaVQp85BvRAQO661N_w6NZ9kG5ZTsfooqYCtNgo70dgy0S1w1f9eJVQA0ldA/s3600/Carle%20Awards%20%20George%20Ford%20with%20auction%20print.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7iHGMLJlGh1bzcsjZjfq1EeIuMJXO03ikNPBWbk2gn4Tmevur2fPs4m63siTFcFrk67rsOlMTCaOEYAl0JYfczoDd3-K72LliA1WEusIGFLXl51LnPh_u-toFohoF6NaVQp85BvRAQO661N_w6NZ9kG5ZTsfooqYCtNgo70dgy0S1w1f9eJVQA0ldA/s320/Carle%20Awards%20%20George%20Ford%20with%20auction%20print.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist and the Hudsons' longtime friend George Ford stands with the print he donated for the auction<br />photo: Stephan Hudson</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.35rem 0px 0.7rem; transition: none 0.25s ease-in 0s;"><span face="garamond-premier-pro, Times, Times New Roman, Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size: 22px;"><br /></span></span></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-15608344015793475112022-05-04T14:01:00.002-04:002022-05-23T14:10:08.882-04:00Just Us Books Founders Share "How they Book"<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Do You Book? That’s the theme for Children’s Book Week, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">which celebrates kidlit and a love for reading. This theme</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> asks us to think about: </span></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"></span>- What we read</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"></span>- Where we read</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"></span>- How we read</span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To celebrate, we asked authors and Just Us Books founders <b>Wade Hudson</b> and <b>Cheryl Willis Hudson</b>, to answer these questions. You also get a peak at what's on their reading list right now.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>How Do You Book, Wade Hudson?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoF-R9BYzT4ObiXEF0UD7cb_eHbpfYEtDWYmgD5QDWGu6RGzgu2FLlACCj1sG2O_GkAntIW6QiydXlHhJDTJk2GnmbEN_am0xa8QDKAok1hSNFB96-i1IxOSaI6eXPJnGdv_2akIe2UdrD1ZcAnWAAIW1gh2NaLT4pGHASJ38IaRC8dMQfN0fLZ5E-fQ/s640/How%20do%20you%20book%20Wade%20Hudson.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="640" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoF-R9BYzT4ObiXEF0UD7cb_eHbpfYEtDWYmgD5QDWGu6RGzgu2FLlACCj1sG2O_GkAntIW6QiydXlHhJDTJk2GnmbEN_am0xa8QDKAok1hSNFB96-i1IxOSaI6eXPJnGdv_2akIe2UdrD1ZcAnWAAIW1gh2NaLT4pGHASJ38IaRC8dMQfN0fLZ5E-fQ/s320/How%20do%20you%20book%20Wade%20Hudson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></b>📚 <i>What I Read</i>
I have an eclectic taste. As a children's and young adult author and publisher I read as many books for young readers as possible. I am also concerned about political issues and read books that cover them as well. I also read books that focus on history, particularly, Black history as well as good novels.
📚 <i>Where I Read</i>
I usually read at home, mostly in the evening, unless I am doing research for a manuscript I am writing. That reading becomes a priority and I usually schedule it just as I schedule my writing.
📚 <i>How I Read</i>
When reading for enjoyment and engagement, I prefer a relaxed environment with coffee and drinks and snacks readily available.</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How Do You Book, Cheryl Willis Hudson?</b></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="📚" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t49/1/16/1f4da.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> <i>What I Read</i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-dG6mIu4WONYEaO0uo4fGFLNu8a1svImglwyUe-R_53VEoYsiEnIiA3Up7BlWqWp7EeGGwiokCb2opoz1Vm-MRFMmXPP-fPaSLc2XMmoPoCARlObpWr5joZVlTHw8gyLJVybLytIGyLM9-0nKLM9YxLLQ9EhIDxmXgWgOyi9Vi6eBwy-9_eusUdicA/s1440/How%20do%20you%20book%20Cheryl%20Hudson.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="758" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-dG6mIu4WONYEaO0uo4fGFLNu8a1svImglwyUe-R_53VEoYsiEnIiA3Up7BlWqWp7EeGGwiokCb2opoz1Vm-MRFMmXPP-fPaSLc2XMmoPoCARlObpWr5joZVlTHw8gyLJVybLytIGyLM9-0nKLM9YxLLQ9EhIDxmXgWgOyi9Vi6eBwy-9_eusUdicA/w210-h400/How%20do%20you%20book%20Cheryl%20Hudson.jpg" width="210" /></a></div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I read lots of children's books. Picture books are my favorites, but I enjoy nonfiction, biographies, and fiction by adult writers as well. I enjoy graphic novels, too.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="📚" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t49/1/16/1f4da.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> <i>Where I Read</i></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I read at any time of the day, but mostly in the afternoon. Since I spend a large part of my day working at my computer and reading articles on my phone, I've recently started to listen to audio books in the evenings and before I go to bed. Audio books bring more variety and entertainment value and the voices add dramatic effects to the process of reading.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="📚" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t49/1/16/1f4da.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> <i>How I Read</i></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I read for information, research purposes and for pleasure. Most of the time there is music playing in the background. When I was much younger, I needed to read in a very quiet place without distractions like the radio or TV, and I could never read in a moving car or train or plane. Now I can and do enjoy reading almost anywhere!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="❓" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/2753.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> Tell us - How do YOU book? </div></div></div><div dir="auto"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div></div>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-14382358327351288032022-03-05T13:53:00.001-05:002022-05-23T13:59:32.952-04:00Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence Wins 2022 Africana Children's Book Award<p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the eve of Ghana’s Independence Day, we’re excited to announce that <i><b><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/" target="_blank">Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence</a></b></i> by Useni Eugene Perkins and Laura Freeman was named winner of the <a href="https://cfas.howard.edu/CABA" target="_blank">2022 Children’s Africana Book Award</a> - best book for young children. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S. </span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) created CABA in 1991 to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials about Africa. We’re thrilled this beautiful collaboration between Useni and Laura earned this distinction. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Learn more about the book and buy it <a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvSShg2e8hqYCGowzjKjiTD05WVJTmpGz8aNh9FQoEHGy7U3jBSXaCHm4xYxZJ_JDdsboAuixI5cgHVISpAK2Bq8CFmwGQM7Pb8jWPC6P33H4BLOooSIe0x6K5YgOmXsAEhLkVmaVaFf7ndVaGLzefj5lRjRRZxu0-UfIiFU7lBDX2Mxd0XJJ56-xMA/s1024/Nkrumah%20cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="786" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvSShg2e8hqYCGowzjKjiTD05WVJTmpGz8aNh9FQoEHGy7U3jBSXaCHm4xYxZJ_JDdsboAuixI5cgHVISpAK2Bq8CFmwGQM7Pb8jWPC6P33H4BLOooSIe0x6K5YgOmXsAEhLkVmaVaFf7ndVaGLzefj5lRjRRZxu0-UfIiFU7lBDX2Mxd0XJJ56-xMA/w308-h400/Nkrumah%20cover.JPG" width="308" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-73934904857620941132022-01-31T06:31:00.006-05:002022-12-11T17:58:27.315-05:00Celebrating Black KidLit Creators<p> We're celebrating Black history and sharing our stories all year long, right? Right. So we curated a list of 50 Black kidlit creators who should be on your radar and your bookshelf.</p><p>Click the image below for a video highlighting the authors and illustrators listed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZaS0TgKF_W/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHG5avE1YPOOtFdaDkG6nfq1FNpBbZU0xYC2QEpmNH5bvTG_ZW41rag1Dcvx4vFTRUrC43NCvDw6xasvkWTSRIvo1YQGTHMNaIfuxXfCK7H8EzauRwHDC5ks-0KakkzVtoalxttO2amdjdWRVbgtHQsIjHG-4nNheiboR9JqqUNQ1DiMmmBk2SJpPILA=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><i>(Listed in the order they are pictured in the video)</i></p><p><b>George Ford</b>, illustrator (Bright Eyes, Brown Skin)</p><p><b>Jacqueline Woodson</b>, author (The Year We Learned to Fly)</p><p><b>Floyd Cooper</b>, author-illustrator (Max and the Tag-Along Moon)</p><p><b>Wade Hudson</b>, author (Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South)</p><p><b>Rita Williams-Garcia</b>, author (A Sitting in St. James)</p><p><b>Pat Cummings</b>, author-illustrator (Trace)</p><p><b>Cheryl Willis Hudson</b>, author (Recognize! An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life)</p><p><b>Eric Velasquez</b>, author-illustrator (Octopus Stew)</p><p><b>Renee Watson</b>, author (She Persisted: Oprah Winfrey)</p><p><b>Jason Reynolds</b>, author (Stuntboy in the Meantime)</p><p><b>Laura Freeman</b>, illustrator (Kwame Nkrumah and the Midnight Speech for Independence)</p><p><b>Javaka Steptoe</b>, illustrator (Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat))</p><p><b>Nikki Grimes</b>, author (Kamala Harris: Rooted In Justice)</p><p><b>Kwame Alexander</b>, author (The Undefeated)</p><p><b>Sharon M. Draper</b>, author (Out of My Heart)</p><p><b>James Ransome</b>, illustrator (Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams)</p><p><b>Joyce Hansen</b>, author (African Princess)</p><p><b>Derrick Barnes</b>, author (I Am Every Good Thing)</p><p><b>Kelly Starling Lyons</b>, author (Sing A Song: How Lift Every Voice and Sing Inspired Generations)</p><p><b>Vanessa Brantley Newton</b>, author-illustrator (Just Like Me)</p><p><b>Walter Dean Myers</b>, author (Monster)</p><p><b>Ibi Zoboi</b>, author (The People Remember)</p><p><b>Sharon Flake</b>, author (The Life I’m In)</p><p><b>Jerry Pinkney</b>, illustrator (The Little Mermaid)</p><p><b>Virginia Hamilton</b>, author (Her Story: African American Folktales, Fairies and True Tales)</p><p><b>Kwame Mbalia</b>, author (Tristan Strong Destroys the World</p><p><b>Diane Lewis Patrick</b>, author (Mekena: See Me, Hear Me, Know Me)</p><p><b>Frank Morrison</b>, illustrator (R-E-S-P-E-C-T Aretha Franklin The Queen of Soul)</p><p><b>Marilyn Nelson</b>, author (Papa’s Free Day Party)</p><p><b>Tony Media</b>, author (Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy)</p><p><b>Tracey Baptiste</b>, author (African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History)</p><p><b>Jerry Craft</b>, author-illustrator (Class Act)</p><p><b>Carole Boston Weatherford</b>, author (Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre)</p><p><b>Gordon James</b>, illustrator (Let ‘Er Buck)</p><p><b>Mildred Taylor</b>, author (All the Days Past, All the Days To Come)</p><p><b>John Steptoe</b>, author-illustrator (Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters)</p><p><b>Nic Stone</b>, author (Clean Getaway)</p><p><b>Andrea Davis Pickney</b>, author (Martin Rising: Requiem for a King)</p><p><b>EB Lewis</b>, illustrator (Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis)</p><p><b>Dhonielle Clayton</b>, author (The Everlasting Rose)</p><p><b>Kadir Nelson</b>, illustrator (Coretta Scott)</p><p><b>Zetta Elliott</b>, author (The Witch’s Apprentice)</p><p><b>Shane Evans</b>, illustrator (Hands Up)</p><p><b>Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich</b>, author (Operation Sisterhood)</p><p><b>Jabari Asim</b>, author (Yonder)</p><p><b>Tonya Bolden</b>, author (Saving Savannah)</p><p><b>Bryan Collier</b>, illustrator (We Shall Overcome)</p><p><b>James Haskins</b>, author (Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice)</p><p><b>Eloise Greenfield</b>, author (The Women Who Caught the Babies)</p><p><b>Angie Thomas</b>, author (Concrete Rose)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-80819907243543057742021-09-09T07:00:00.006-04:002021-09-10T11:52:35.359-04:00New Picture Book from Just Us Books, Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence, Continues Publisher’s Celebration of Freedom<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Poet-activist Useni Eugene Perkins and Coretta
Scott King Honor winner Laura Freeman team up to share the story of Ghana’s
independence</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">(West Orange,
NJ) September 9, 2021 – Continuing its focus on stories that celebrate freedom,
leading independent children’s book publisher Just Us Books will publish <a name="_Hlk81930778"></a><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-86-6/"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk81930778;"><b><i>Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for
Independence</i></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk81930778;"></span></a></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk81930778;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span></i></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk81930778;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">by Useni
Eugene Perkins, illustrated by Laura Freeman. The picture book will be released
in hardcover on Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday, September 21.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With prose by renowned
poet-activist Perkins and illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor winner
Freeman, </span></span><span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kwame
Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence</span></i></span><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> captures the magic of the night Ghana was
declared a free nation and shares the remarkable life of Kwame Nkrumah — one of
Africa’s most celebrated leaders.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckvVix7X9HQ/YTkfgN7D3vI/AAAAAAAA5MA/QDP846G_fb8n4nmweIKOG6tAcFmh_Jg1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Nkrumah%2Bcover.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="786" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckvVix7X9HQ/YTkfgN7D3vI/AAAAAAAA5MA/QDP846G_fb8n4nmweIKOG6tAcFmh_Jg1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Nkrumah%2Bcover.JPG" width="246" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="s1"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kwame
Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence</span></i></span><span class="s1"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></b></span><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">follows the spring 2021 publication of </span></span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Papa’s
Free Day Party</span></i></b></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
another freedom story published by Just Us Books. Written by Marilyn Nelson and
illustrated by Wayne Anthony Still, it centers on the author’s grandfather, who
escaped racist attacks as a child and went on to build a new life in the
all-Black town of Boley, Oklahoma. This fall, Just Us Books is also
collaborating with Crown Books for Young Readers to release </span></span><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0593381595/"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Recognize:
An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life</span></i></b></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Edited by Just Us Books
founders Wade and Cheryl Hudson, it features award-winning Black authors and
artists who’ve come together to create a moving collection that celebrates
Black love, Black creativity, Black resistance, and Black life.</span></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></span></b></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-family: times;"><a name="_Hlk81641542"><span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence<br /></span></i></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Written by </span><a name="_Hlk81930659" style="font-size: 12pt;">Useni
Eugene Perkins, illustrated by Laura Freeman</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, published by Just Us Books<br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ISBN 978-0-940975-86-6, $17.99, hardcover, ages 4-8</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">On a humid March night in 1957,
Kwame Nkrumah made history. While thousands of people cheered, including
dignitaries from round the world, he announced his country's independence.
After many years of British rule, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, became the
first sub-Saharan African nation to break free from colonial rule.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Useni Eugene Perkins</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is a multi-faceted
writer and activist who was a prominent voice in the Black Arts Movement. His
writings for young people include <i>Home is a Dirty Street: The Social
Oppression of Black Children</i>, <i>Rise of the Phoenix: Voices from
Chicago’s Black Struggle, 1960 to 1975</i> (Third World Press), <i>Poetry
from the Masters: Black Arts Movement </i>(Just Us Books), and the
celebrated picture book, <i>Hey Black Child</i> (Little Brown)
illustrated by Bryan Collier. In 1999 he was inducted into the Gwendolyn Brooks
Literary Hall of Fame. In 2003, Useni was featured in HistoryMakers.com, a
digital archive dedicated to preserving histories of African Americans. He has
travelled to Ghana many times and in 2007 was inducted into the Gefia Society
in Akatsi, Volta Region, Ghana and installed as their Academic Development
Chief under the stool name of Torgbui Perkins Agbale I. Learn more about Useni at </span><a href="https://blackchildjournal.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #954f72; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://Blackchildjournal.com</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Laura Freeman </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is the award-winning illustrator
of over 30 picture books for children including <i>Hidden Figures: The
True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race</i> by Margot Lee
Shetterly (Harper Collins), <i>Kamala Harris Rooted in Justice</i> by
Nikki Grimes (Atheneaum) and <i>Dream Builders: The Story of Architect
Philip Freelon</i> by Kelly Starling Lyons (Lee and Low Books). She also
illustrated six titles in the <i>I Love to</i> series (Marimba
Books). A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Laura has
been awarded the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and the NAACP Image Award
for her work. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and their two children.
Visit her at </span><a href="https://lfreemanart.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #954f72; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://LFreemanArt.com</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ABOUT THE PUBLISHER<br /></span></b><span class="s1"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Just Us Books</span></b></span><span class="s1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is an independent, Black-owned
publisher of children’s books that celebrate the diversity of Black people,
history, and culture. Founded in 1988 by husband-and-wife team, Wade and Cheryl
Hudson, its titles range from board books for infants to novels for young
adults and have helped the company win numerous awards for its contributions to
publishing, including Small Business Pioneer of the Year and the Children’s
Book Council Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award. In more than 32 years of
operation, Just Us Books has become an institution in children’s publishing and
remains one of the nation's few Black-owned presses. Just Us Books titles can
be purchased wherever books are sold and through its web site: </span></span><a href="http://www.justusbooks.com%20/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">www.justusbooks.com </span></a></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">Connect with Just Us Books on
social @JustUsBooks across platforms.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: times; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Digital review galleys of <span class="s1"><b><i>Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence </i></b></span></span></b><b style="font-family: times; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">are available upon request. Email: katura_hudson@justusbooks.com</span></b></p>webmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-90280548499125554582021-04-26T18:54:00.000-04:002021-04-26T18:54:12.215-04:00A Conversation with Wayne Anthony Still, Illustrator of Papa's Free Day Party<p><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wayne Anthony Still, illustrator
of the new picture book </span></i></b><b><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Papa’s
Free Day Party<i>, talks about his creative process, artistic inspirations, and
his connection to abolitionist William Still.<br /></i></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkWCnvwPBcTGblK0rWKh2jPPFx9asVqVhd4dv8jT9XyE01J9LA6HpFeXBpEJ2P0w3n4qT-U1e0-KvvszPKA96Cs07ciwBsBkQ7Wersi_AOhcWVPuYShiCjorgnFoU42tZ30f-o03nL5xR/s531/Wayne+Anthony+Still+Portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Headshot of artist Wayne Anthony Still" border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkWCnvwPBcTGblK0rWKh2jPPFx9asVqVhd4dv8jT9XyE01J9LA6HpFeXBpEJ2P0w3n4qT-U1e0-KvvszPKA96Cs07ciwBsBkQ7Wersi_AOhcWVPuYShiCjorgnFoU42tZ30f-o03nL5xR/w258-h320/Wayne+Anthony+Still+Portrait.jpg" width="258" /></a></div></i></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How did you get into book illustration?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like most illustrators, I've
submitted sample images in the form of mailers to book publishers, ad agencies,
art directors, design studios, galleries and artist's representatives to
acquire freelance assignments. Having a website and being active on social
media are must have vehicles to showcase my full range of abilities and get my
work seen by thousands. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Can you describe your creative
process? Once you get a manuscript, how do you get started?</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My creative process involves
critical thinking and problem solving. For example, with </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Papa's
Free Day Party</span></i></a></span><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,<i>
</i>I had to read the manuscript and decide which areas of the story stood out to me from a visual perspective and (would) help convey the writer's point of
view in that moment in time. It is the inspiration of the story that brings my
ideas to life -- with a collaboration between writer, publisher and artist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hVumXbSrzXVDTILw-J1fTVN9aSkfiBWPYlK2QCtoQZGvfS92wXWGaxZTeneMGmqUEpcy_NJI3L39mLeqD2tmBq4PLMLD-sLxPq_Vg08WCuhp_a7KMbLeOjM4ZMDKbDjw2hv1b4-x_2GL/s2048/Papas+Free+Day+Party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of Papa's Free Day Party, showing a Black family of 5 celebrating, smiling at each other, with a red balloon in the background" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1559" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hVumXbSrzXVDTILw-J1fTVN9aSkfiBWPYlK2QCtoQZGvfS92wXWGaxZTeneMGmqUEpcy_NJI3L39mLeqD2tmBq4PLMLD-sLxPq_Vg08WCuhp_a7KMbLeOjM4ZMDKbDjw2hv1b4-x_2GL/w252-h330/Papas+Free+Day+Party.jpg" width="252" /></a></i></b></div><b><i>Do you have a favorite medium to
work in?</i></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
believe nothing compares to the strength, drama and power that can be achieved
through oil paints. The blending of colors is second to none with slow drying
times enabling the artist to achieve depth and range of finishes and effects. Secondly
would be acrylics. This is the medium most used by me due to fact that most
illustrations have tight deadlines and this medium dries quickly and has
properties similar to oils in range of depth and impact. Third and certainly
not least would be watercolors. There is a natural softness to this medium and
blending can be magical. Effects can be achieved with simple washes and
blending is effortless. I have found that being able to adapt to various
mediums equates to the possibility to work on more projects and not be typecast
as only able to do one thing well. After all, if you look at history, the
greatest artists lived during the Renaissance in my opinion, and they were
skilled in many mediums and excelled in them all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM4qntIRJ-1ihNIOY9Fp7Aqr8pBskKMU82SQNb8GE_x501pbhyphenhyphen29VbjmLIRDgX6bkhlOlPlS5141fmya3t3FxOpv5bbeKvjr5PV9JuAEyEsVd48eh8x8tZ6uM8jjud4DqfKnUGC8tgaXf/s1500/Free+Day+-+papa+in+garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spread from Papa's Free Day Party showing a young Black boy in a garden holding a carrot with a white man's hand on his shoulder" border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1500" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM4qntIRJ-1ihNIOY9Fp7Aqr8pBskKMU82SQNb8GE_x501pbhyphenhyphen29VbjmLIRDgX6bkhlOlPlS5141fmya3t3FxOpv5bbeKvjr5PV9JuAEyEsVd48eh8x8tZ6uM8jjud4DqfKnUGC8tgaXf/w640-h418/Free+Day+-+papa+in+garden.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>Which artists have inspired you?</i></b></p></span></i></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like most artists I have a love
of art as well as the creators behind the images. Honestly the list would be
too long to cover but if I had to single out a few it would be artists like: Albrecht
Durer, Leonardo DaVinci, Howard Pyle, J.C. Leyendecker, Charles Santore, Jerry
Pinkney, Leo & Diane Dillon, Tom Blackshear, Ezra Tucker, and Kadir Nelson.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This story is based on Marilyn’s
family and her grandfather’s journey to freedom. You also have a family
connection to freedom fighters. Can you share more about that?</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am a proud descendent of
William Still who was an African-American abolitionist based in Philadelphia PA.
He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, a business man, writer,
historian, and civil rights activist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Are you working on any new
projects you want to share?</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #26282a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am presently working on some
private commission works as well as designing new collectable giftware items to
be sold worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0gnWMdy4WWCU4tIQ1o9YvlofzpbYK2xvtKnvoYBfGmUBaF2URCTaCt8ZUUFo_ChOuiYe65u4lfrIDqqQ-RPrigRTRN5CY-qg2p7eHlmD2eZtjWhsDoQHJRWbf52watVkzSOYSCqhu4Oh/s1200/William+Still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Abolitionist William Still" border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0gnWMdy4WWCU4tIQ1o9YvlofzpbYK2xvtKnvoYBfGmUBaF2URCTaCt8ZUUFo_ChOuiYe65u4lfrIDqqQ-RPrigRTRN5CY-qg2p7eHlmD2eZtjWhsDoQHJRWbf52watVkzSOYSCqhu4Oh/w320-h168/William+Still.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>Wayne Anthony
Still</i></b><i> is an award-winning illustrator, painter, designer and
sculptor. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration and graphic
design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His work
includes exquisitely designed figurines, collector’s stamps for international
governments and masterful plates as well as paintings and illustrations. He
lives in Pennsylvania near the city of Philadelphia.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-15927497354791820562021-03-12T10:58:00.006-05:002021-03-14T11:07:23.250-04:00Coming this Fall: RECOGNIZE! An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexcHHiuQcVSiJmNB033_kKrkq7FD0n3vEfQ8XSdksbg1r-VqQTaBZoUxob3vGG2TiawkIeVHBo8zVWo_B8djpchUhByT0TD-WUBYv3kaf7N1xcn0AywyVApDoPuh7Kd6DYpJPW8JGLRiM/s1440/Recognize%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="950" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexcHHiuQcVSiJmNB033_kKrkq7FD0n3vEfQ8XSdksbg1r-VqQTaBZoUxob3vGG2TiawkIeVHBo8zVWo_B8djpchUhByT0TD-WUBYv3kaf7N1xcn0AywyVApDoPuh7Kd6DYpJPW8JGLRiM/w264-h400/Recognize%2521.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Cover art by Floyd Cooper.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Coming this fall, from editors Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson: <a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0593381595/" target="_blank"><b><i>RECOGNIZE! An Anthology Honoring And Amplifying Black Life</i></b></a>. </p><p>In the stunning follow-up to <i>The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth</i>, award-winning Black authors and artists come together to create a moving anthology collection celebrating Black love, Black creativity, Black resistance, and Black life.</p><p>More than 30 prominent Black creators lend their voice, their insight, and their talent to an inspiring anthology that celebrates Black culture and Black life. Essays, poems, short stories, and historical excerpts blend with a full-color eight-page insert of spellbinding art to capture the pride, prestige, and jubilation that is being Black in America. In these pages, find the stories of the past, the journeys of the present, and the light guiding the future.</p><p><i>Recognize!</i> is scheduled for release by Crown Books for Young Readers on October 12, 2021.</p><p>You can pre-order at <a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0593381595/" target="_blank">our site</a> or wherever you buy books. </p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-42022971947461004402021-03-11T07:00:00.006-05:002021-03-11T07:00:08.653-05:00Just Us Books Set to Publish New Picture Book by Award-Winning Poet Marilyn Nelson: Papa’s Free Day Party Shares Author’s Family Story of Freedom<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">March 11, 2021 – Leading independent children’s book
publisher Just Us Books will publish </span><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/?_ga=2.254378824.1781372497.1615419484-864506698.1609522180" target="_blank">Papa’s<br /> Free Day Party</a></span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, a powerful new picture
book by award-winning poet and author Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by award-winning
artist Wayne Anthony Still this April. <b><i>Papa’s Free Day Party</i></b> is
based on the true story of Marilyn’s grandfather, who escaped a racist attack
as a child, was taken in by a white family, and went on to build a new
life in the all-Black town of Boley, Oklahoma. <b><i>Papa’s Free Day Party </i></b>will
be published in hardcover and released on April 20, 2021.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Papa’s Free Day Party </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">highlights many timely
issues, including the meaning of freedom, the impact of allyship, the
importance of Black history and family stories, and how everyday actions can
drive powerful change.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CAsUyEAA1IMuAmqHV70XDmep_D7AfjFvmxawGYRVaGDMu1iSQnhz3XQfMavoCUcekNujMAgGLBLyxUVvd90ojC8gFoSs0Rq6VKKZFKCzXgkovRM0h8NGEoWmJClXmob3q3Lm3waLBUa3/s2048/Papas+Free+Day+Party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1559" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CAsUyEAA1IMuAmqHV70XDmep_D7AfjFvmxawGYRVaGDMu1iSQnhz3XQfMavoCUcekNujMAgGLBLyxUVvd90ojC8gFoSs0Rq6VKKZFKCzXgkovRM0h8NGEoWmJClXmob3q3Lm3waLBUa3/w305-h400/Papas+Free+Day+Party.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ABOUT THE BOOK<br /></span></b><span class="s1"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/?_ga=2.254378824.1781372497.1615419484-864506698.1609522180" target="_blank">Papa’s Free Day Party</a></span></i></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, written<span class="s1">
by Marilyn Nelson</span><span class="apple-converted-space">, illustrated
by </span><span class="s1">Wayne
Anthony Still, published by Just Us Books</span><b><i>. </i></b><span class="s1">Publication date: April 20,
2021</span>,<span class="s1">
hardcover</span><span class="apple-converted-space">, </span><span class="s1">$17.95</span><i>, </i><span class="s1">ISBN: 978-0-940975-72-9</span>,
target age: <span class="s1">5-8</span></span></span><p></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Johnnie wants to celebrate
her Papa’s birthday, but Papa doesn’t know exactly when that special day is.
Johnnie doesn’t understand how that could be. Then she learns about Papa’s
childhood—how he escaped Night Riders, the family that took him in, and how he
built a new life in the all-Black town of Boley, Oklahoma. Inspired by her
father’s incredible story, Johnnie decides to throw Papa a different kind of
party—one to recognize her father’s day of freedom.</span></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR<br /></b></span></span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Marilyn Nelson</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> is the author or translator of more than 20
books and chapbooks for adults and children. Her critically acclaimed books for
young readers include <i>A Wreath for Emmett Till, Fortune’s Bones, Carver: A
Life in Poems</i>, a Newbery Honor Book and recipient of the Boston
Globe/Hornbook and the Fiora Stieglitz Straus Awards. Her memoir, <i>How I
Discovered Poetry</i>, is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and was named one of
NPR’s Best Books of 2014. A three-time finalist for the National Book Award,
her many honors include the Frost Medal, the NSK Neustadt Award and the Ruth
Lilly Poetry Prize. She was Poet Laureate of Connecticut, 2001 - 2006.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR<br /></span></b></span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Wayne Anthony Still</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> is an award-winning illustrator, painter,
designer and sculptor. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration
and graphic design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. His work includes exquisitely designed figurines, collector’s stamps
for international governments and masterful plates as well as paintings and illustrations.
He lives in Pennsylvania near the city of Philadelphia where another famous
member of his family, William Still, was an active leader and
historian-conductor of the Underground Railroad.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ABOUT THE PUBLISHER<br /></span></span></b><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Just Us Books</span></b></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is an independent,
Black-owned publisher of children’s books that celebrate the diversity of Black
people, history, and culture. Founded in 1988 by husband-and-wife team, Wade
and Cheryl Hudson, its titles range from board books for infants to novels for
young adults and have helped the company win numerous awards for its
contributions to publishing, including Small Business Pioneer of the Year and
the Children’s Book Council Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award. In more
than 32 years of operation, Just Us Books has become an institution in
children’s publishing and remains one of the nation's few Black-owned presses.
Just Us Books titles can be purchased wherever books are sold and through its
web site: </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.justusbooks.com%20/" style="font-family: inherit;">www.justusbooks.com </a></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Connect with Just Us Books
on social @JustUsBooks across platforms.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Review galleys of <i><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/?_ga=2.254378824.1781372497.1615419484-864506698.1609522180" target="_blank">Papa’s Free Day Party</a></i> available upon request. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Email: katura_hudson@justusbooks.com</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-22869557786580171702021-02-28T09:42:00.000-05:002021-02-28T09:42:37.999-05:00Celebrating the Culture Carriers<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajJe_Bs2_fzmxXea7EhmKzyQb0Zx5Qtvy-c6gmcjsYBHTP8dQ9ya7qVIshJtyVnC3M8KfUECokYUstnJ5cexfLJu_-0X1QLIGuup8WE4XiAk0rt4zeVrs9YAKRYbiL7QPW6TvpQXuMC0a/s800/CC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajJe_Bs2_fzmxXea7EhmKzyQb0Zx5Qtvy-c6gmcjsYBHTP8dQ9ya7qVIshJtyVnC3M8KfUECokYUstnJ5cexfLJu_-0X1QLIGuup8WE4XiAk0rt4zeVrs9YAKRYbiL7QPW6TvpQXuMC0a/s320/CC.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />There
are many ways to share Black history: through books and film, fine and
performing arts, for-profit and non-profit work, at home, at school, by
teaching, researching, mentoring, storytelling and much more. At Just Us Books
our work is centered on sharing our history and stories. This Black History
Month we wanted to do a little more.<span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;"> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every
weekday in February, we spotlighted a Black-owned business, Black-led and
centered organization, or Black creator. This was (and still is) a celebration
of the people and institutions that dig deep to research and share the many
contributions Black people have made to our world. A celebration of those who
provide programs that enrich our minds and our communities. A celebration of
those who create art that helps us learn more about ourselves, and those who
create opportunities for artists to share their work with the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These
are our culture carriers. Please join us in saluting them.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ethnicitees-LLC-Cultural-Marketplace-590754528011426/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXC50CqAiiww_MwaSmg1C7nhXcXF1vLR5pjeobA_Bx9RHl9hYejXL1X2pOfNLtI3XNHXkHS2M9Rl9_59SJWyW5O8KXVydFKfgtceLN4J9Aw7GD8IP27mIogGAs0Dhxi4TZWEXrVdaqVSzr50rqw7aL2orsZ2xw5qG6ZNrXKHNZSmQjt92g34-90BxgWlVScjPc&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ethnicitees LLC Cultural Marketplace</span></b></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sean
Romon Montague founded Ethnicitees in 1994 with the mission of “raising
educational awareness of the historical, global accomplishments of African
American/ Black people.” While working as an Art Instructor for Baltimore City
Public Schools, he saw a need for an educational product that would teach Black
history in a unique way. So he introduced the concept of “Cultural Wearables” –
apparel with portraits of Black historical figures. He started with four
designs featuring Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, and Frederick
Douglass, and quickly expanded to include many others – carving their images
out of relief print linoleum blocks then screen printing them on shirts.
Ethnicitees recently expanded further, opening a retail store at The Bowie Town
Center in Bowie, Maryland.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.ethniciteesllc.org/home?fbclid=IwAR22MqAGLTlM8AZ4LgdmqZmS7ETFhkupqf04U6K0RmdyWSPMOGhfWn5xvQ0" target="_blank">https://www.ethniciteesllc.org/home</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXhUPxsQie5jxY4WH4fQ2eOULwFhXR8akzrjkRHo0k7yKe4nRg7CSo71cnZ2yQDpelJNTcyLtK0V9s7d0NNqhZ_hudvtK9yaw3C3JhOvbYDvFZ9wagEFq_m7RDjMLHJfwpnO5AP3buePT/s500/CC+-+Ethnicitees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXhUPxsQie5jxY4WH4fQ2eOULwFhXR8akzrjkRHo0k7yKe4nRg7CSo71cnZ2yQDpelJNTcyLtK0V9s7d0NNqhZ_hudvtK9yaw3C3JhOvbYDvFZ9wagEFq_m7RDjMLHJfwpnO5AP3buePT/s320/CC+-+Ethnicitees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/serendipitylit/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZUTl88XGrK90Ge6VBLLXfPW4SOa-1yu5liEI2ZO6_OqvIlpoccO5KLJaFTy0I1wYibsa2gz2-rETC9nU6teJe7uPKhbYElsi1lvz_i6W70HbBey5a-uqmtbufMLptS_wyIwRziDqt-I17bqpiMswSgfUhuJTZ98ex37Q5feg_uG6xAsCKtNX3_wVMU2XV63pJ8&__tn__=kK-R" style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Serendipity Literary Agency</span></b></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you’ve read the
books Crown: Ode to a Fresh Cut; A Wreath for Emmett Till; Defining Moments in
Black History and Who’s Gonna Take the Weight, then you know the names Derrick
Barnes, Gordon James, Marilyn Nelson, Dick Gregory and Kevin Powell. And that
means you also know the great work of Serendipity Literacy Agency and its
founder Regina Brooks. Founded in 2000, Serendipity is the largest
African-American owned agency in the country. The company represents a diverse
base of clients in adult and young adult fiction, non-fiction, and children’s
literature – managing business representation, supporting editorial
development, and even marketing. And their success shows. Serendipity’s clients
have won some of the industry’s top honors including The Coretta Scott King
Award, Newbery Honor, Ezra Jack Keats Award, and Glaad Media Award; and have
appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, Washington Post, Oprah, BET, TV One
and more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Learn more, support
and spread the word: <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.serendipitylit.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2v8cZo2hSNVCpg6aUUN5GfQY6RGMHYYfaFExyhyIJmMOn7W64Zz1m5frM&h=AT0-pPRQ29O9u1kMrxPy3gUbDYBThzaPKCze2jxHZjbx4CvQs6BcsyPaUX9RuzPcPoLdPxIZW29vdd_T9_LA6IJL1MxyORz9rTvD9I7a3mX5sZZpMIE1_yod5w9rxSLNwg&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5b0%5d=AT16XgywfjJUZv60BW8eOz80kuOu0n6la8twS7gEyaqP3ZYLDRsCYpgNFxso0pmHSQvbZ0rYqUhnJYCOq3WmI2NTv2km2C_DQutgxXw_8PrmliuT1vEXbqyyy1R7hbKIo5zcEAld0WFGU90-w-riTZPavVD0zAbMDqgH-jky090Kxa7pm7mqbINDaS5ow3piwgAWW0s" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">https://www.serendipitylit.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bcpdigitalprinting/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVbmDUFBksfnCvP5rySYYdN-hCM3s98N1QKWjn40jQq22kYtAS9P2hNZ53WPPu57J7qQZDtPlLEx76h1B4QTgWbbVNs5m4A9NFjwnWFQ_iZ0vuPT3SRSZ8KaJO4qFka9xg1ASPzc75VTp0VyVAn6-FEB6qdXrLesIssXf6_CzBk6lGRnsOwjwfKw7kRi2JEitQ&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bcpdigitalprinting/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVbmDUFBksfnCvP5rySYYdN-hCM3s98N1QKWjn40jQq22kYtAS9P2hNZ53WPPu57J7qQZDtPlLEx76h1B4QTgWbbVNs5m4A9NFjwnWFQ_iZ0vuPT3SRSZ8KaJO4qFka9xg1ASPzc75VTp0VyVAn6-FEB6qdXrLesIssXf6_CzBk6lGRnsOwjwfKw7kRi2JEitQ&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">BCP Digital
Printing</span><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">BCP
Digital Printing is a short run digital print and document processing company
based in Baltimore, Maryland. The family-run company was founded in 1995 as a
complimentary business to</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Black-Classic-Press-Inc-108805275873233/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVbmDUFBksfnCvP5rySYYdN-hCM3s98N1QKWjn40jQq22kYtAS9P2hNZ53WPPu57J7qQZDtPlLEx76h1B4QTgWbbVNs5m4A9NFjwnWFQ_iZ0vuPT3SRSZ8KaJO4qFka9xg1ASPzc75VTp0VyVAn6-FEB6qdXrLesIssXf6_CzBk6lGRnsOwjwfKw7kRi2JEitQ&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none;"> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in; text-decoration-line: none;">Black Classic Press, Inc.</span></a><span style="color: #050505;">,
a publishing company also founded by W. Paul Coates. BCP Digital’s products
range from annual reports and magazines to banners and calendars, and its
services include binding, digital imaging, shrink wrapping, and lamination.
This full suite means not only can BCP Digital print your book, it can produce
the marketing material to help you promote your book too.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="https://www.bcpdigital.com/?fbclid=IwAR2bE7h9s0-V_UMZ8b3I7zHo9UMT_JnkttloLzra2HVvy8i5Yqkd8jHe_kI" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://www.bcpdigital.com/</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The
African American Children’s Book Project</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every
year, on the first Saturday in February, thousands of children, parents,
teachers, librarians and book lovers of all kinds brave the cold in the name of
good books. To be more specific: good children’s books by and about African
Americans. The event is the African American Children’s Bookfair and it’s the
marquee initiative of The African American Children’s Book Project, a
non-profit created to promote and preserve children’s literature written by or
about African Americans.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Under
the leadership of its founder, Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, AACBP collaborates with
authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, educators, consumers,
libraries, non-profits and corporations to promote literacy programs across the
country. The bookfair is now in its 29th year, and going virtual for the first
time. So there’s no cold and no line but still lots of books!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
African American Children’s Book Fair, held February 6, 2021, drew nearly 3,000
attendees.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><span style="color: #050505;"> </span><a href="https://www.theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org/">https://www.theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org/</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kwelitv/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXFyRAz3dvSzibN7BwI9m3-IOws6G38ztg0pED_TCa8-nVo2-bTIlfnSBzn7I9mPePG1M3heq0gRXyXOreAPSxT5TsS-Ojsq1Qm3rpO3eOYfgweZI6iOLzHtakrmDOSUe4efPnt2CyNNZgV_SV_4adWus8dX5kJ1-unXvHISjrdY_8ZBsXSTOfKNLu_8k7Efmk&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kwelitv/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXFyRAz3dvSzibN7BwI9m3-IOws6G38ztg0pED_TCa8-nVo2-bTIlfnSBzn7I9mPePG1M3heq0gRXyXOreAPSxT5TsS-Ojsq1Qm3rpO3eOYfgweZI6iOLzHtakrmDOSUe4efPnt2CyNNZgV_SV_4adWus8dX5kJ1-unXvHISjrdY_8ZBsXSTOfKNLu_8k7Efmk&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
<b>Kweli TV</b></span><b><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
inspiration for kweliTV came when DeShuna Spencer, Founder & CEO, was while
flipping through cable channels. She was frustrated with the stereotypes, lack
of diversity, and limited content options. She wanted documentaries, global
Black history, indie films - and she couldn’t find enough of that content on
cable or streaming services. So she started her own.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">KweliTV’s
mission is to curate and create content that is a true reflection of the global
Black experience. It focuses on high-quality content — film, news, web shows,
kids programming, documentaries and more — produced by independent, globally
diverse and unique filmmakers and journalists. 98 percent of kweliTV’s films
have been official selections at film festivals and 60% of its revenue goes to
content creators. That means a large portion of subscription fees support the
filmmakers who create the content you watch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.kweli.tv/?fbclid=IwAR2bE7h9s0-V_UMZ8b3I7zHo9UMT_JnkttloLzra2HVvy8i5Yqkd8jHe_kI" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://www.kweli.tv/</a><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Black
History Mini Docs<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Inspiring
and entertaining stories of Black trailblazers in under 90 seconds? Soon there
will be an app for that. Until then, you can find Black History Mini Docs on
social media and </span><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fblackhistoryminidocs.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2F6wLWAjqcA2FjZBNpV_XnmT8yRr_l_3WBRFXiZFvKOi1ouMLh_A7rBEQ&h=AT0O9D5eDj_oOVQzKNKElZZmtq4mOZmB5ykegS-NUEF5PghAFEP95k9YLY1FR1qHrFPMhC2JvYz07wU-FspJ0xFQE4XuWZLRbSskYtMSkwTQ0vKPIUekGXMyeFPnJbFitQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5b0%5d=AT1vNg5tJ38uQfbX9F93L_3AzlQTCLlg4Keeyka4anBMCUygwRN7Qr1YY77gOLoaPZjXqGtuTtlJHdqhYwguHC9rfwi7jwVdMT12UucI2pa0dS3zL3FjsfpVyvHYxh6w6UFsrn6RqyR2qSbUhY-f3l74EaJvMHBQmqp_m2M-axou6iIgp6ysACjgUoOkaeIhdYWumms" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">blackhistoryminidocs.com</span></a><span style="color: #050505;">
The initiative was created by Producer-Director Neema Barnette, whose work
includes Women thou Art Loosed: On The 7th Day and Queen Sugar. She works with
her husband Reed R. McCants, also an award-winning filmmaker, to chronicle the
contributions and achievements of well-known people such as Harriet Tubman,
Nelson Mandela, Thurgood Marshall, James Baldwin and Angela Davis as well as
un-sung heroes in the Black community. In addition to Mini Docs, they posts
daily tributes as an extension of their work to educate people about the
contributions Black people have made to US history.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="http://www.blackhistoryminidocs.com/?fbclid=IwAR3o6cJYjGvDVURE4q4S2xBDsx4m-QmhmezpoK58elQGPFPSFEBehMvR5Ww" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">http://www.blackhistoryminidocs.com</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebrownbookshelf/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVYTF2cKP1ckJlh8Y7foTPKbCweD85YOQnvelJsqPevLPZ8Gl2lftQ-9XqZ42uPju3wqST_W731b9WNmQjPC9s3Tqlt2wLVJz12dklHqUBIoSdyrpk-5D_j44iFOEU0HzAVKOTdYNlYyunDPwCHsOSJcnpCMZfEl2S42FMvGWTxb2F3T1HPBpJydxhrG_6s0oE&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebrownbookshelf/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVYTF2cKP1ckJlh8Y7foTPKbCweD85YOQnvelJsqPevLPZ8Gl2lftQ-9XqZ42uPju3wqST_W731b9WNmQjPC9s3Tqlt2wLVJz12dklHqUBIoSdyrpk-5D_j44iFOEU0HzAVKOTdYNlYyunDPwCHsOSJcnpCMZfEl2S42FMvGWTxb2F3T1HPBpJydxhrG_6s0oE&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2HVFXRiO7oNUIsnXoqtUyhiJWRAh4XlXByvE16o7sCgmFMH-QRpL2HX96Jl8ADuQgFGo1frj81DbhdGsMJnktOmU6RT16WoVjy2IpTUNa71rIt_i0qxfFJuvV6jcch0Q7ZLHcgn2XHt/s906/CC+-+Black+History+Mini+Docs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2HVFXRiO7oNUIsnXoqtUyhiJWRAh4XlXByvE16o7sCgmFMH-QRpL2HX96Jl8ADuQgFGo1frj81DbhdGsMJnktOmU6RT16WoVjy2IpTUNa71rIt_i0qxfFJuvV6jcch0Q7ZLHcgn2XHt/s320/CC+-+Black+History+Mini+Docs.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
<b>The Brown Bookshelf</b></span><b><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Children’s books by
award-winning and veteran Black creators are more visible and accessible these
days, but how can you find new Black authors and illustrators or great books
that have flown under the radar? Enter The Brown Bookshelf. Formed by Paula Chase
and Varian Johnson in a collaboration with author Kelly Starling Lyons and
illustrator Don Tate, BBS promotes awareness of the many diverse Black people
creating books for young readers. Its flagship initiative is 28 Days Later, a
month-long showcase of the best in children’s and young adult books written and
illustrated by Black creators. In short, it centers Black authors and
illustrators whose work should be shared year-round.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Learn more, support
and spread the word <a href="https://thebrownbookshelf.com/?fbclid=IwAR2LiQiIyHVHxbHthjuDHDALR0UBH2vrh82uugd0pkCvxW8frRRgms96vkM" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">https://thebrownbookshelf.com</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><b><span style="color: #050505;">The
Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">The
web domain is </span><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FLoveBlackgirls.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0cEiG4WNqB-rc3sQgfjbCR3DPdv9wVi48ziV5YFYBe6qFF4GyBRdB0PBs&h=AT2y00_Nj7DrEYUaiIYTP_2IwHThnjoWThDHBJ2BhG2SAha2GveahoQ_YYZBjejE-wcJ8m91zcCCzKeBUZ5YFAQMnZOxXcrx2UyRowv8aBSuStYUuwkcAvczIw5YoYC9jw&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5b0%5d=AT3IUX7bEdYVqb-rnjlrPWzbIKkVpxZWU5Vj6yW1kgumlVPeYo5FM9ISxNks8qS0SUxTuqO9IGKwmn1yV3gfTX3yCw9hHAgedUX1U-2N1hWhueY6tOeqUy4inKmOG_wUh7uQJ1RABpyOlb0eotvvAK0lKqn3l2GZc1tLy9tmGf5NGxFbbdNSqOzk2e0YCDZENPN8oDg" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">LoveBlackgirls.org</span></a><span style="color: #050505;"> and
simply reading the names of their projects is enough to inspire. The Chisholm
Project educates Black girls and the community through policy analysis and by
developing policy. The Colvin Project provides a summer institute where girls
who have made difficult choices meet, fellowship and learn skills that aid them
in overcoming personal challenges while supporting their sense of self. The
Hamer Project focuses on our communities’ holistic well-being through human
rights education, including legal clinics.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These
are just a few initiatives of The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects. The
Jackson, Mississippi based organization offers leadership development for Black
girls and women, addressing the whole person: physical, emotional, spiritual
and social wellbeing. Founder and president Natalie Collier created the
Lighthouse from her dream to see Black girls recognized. Her organization’s
work ensures that Black “girls and young women are supported and uplifted so
they, too, can dream their own dreams and realize them on their terms.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="https://loveblackgirls.org/?fbclid=IwAR2YKKTtsq_KEoz7tWnYZPKTKklhFrTmDmqtCl7dqeKmOlA5KY4MOjrEbME" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://loveblackgirls.org</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SayItLoudReadersandWriters/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZWFi88M9RPtLdGOp9jfhem9dq9Fyup9LsiRlt8ddcfOuwe_wqDc_AEiy_tUA96FUqLM1Qoh3qkUFQe07X19-LjW8_pIBObio8WWv1O3hQ38mGvnbifjCbKIaW41qDaX2PnPfCIs_L9-cqc4BsD9RFsEkXVZEPs_EzZAFK4zrHIUw6hZgmY9sNDaLib-PC95mbw&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SayItLoudReadersandWriters/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZWFi88M9RPtLdGOp9jfhem9dq9Fyup9LsiRlt8ddcfOuwe_wqDc_AEiy_tUA96FUqLM1Qoh3qkUFQe07X19-LjW8_pIBObio8WWv1O3hQ38mGvnbifjCbKIaW41qDaX2PnPfCIs_L9-cqc4BsD9RFsEkXVZEPs_EzZAFK4zrHIUw6hZgmY9sNDaLib-PC95mbw&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Say It Loud Readers
and Writers</span><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Say
It Loud! Readers and Writers brings communities together through literature.
Educational consultant and literacy advocate Patrick Oliver founded Say It Loud
to support educational and community organizations in implementing innovative
literary arts projects and programs. Since 1997, the organization has worked
with educators and administrators across the country to decrease the literacy
achievement gap and empower students. Poetry, narrative, prose, rap, vision
boards are all tools Patrick and his team use to teach young people the power
of visualizing dreams and planning their goals early and often. Say It Loud
also features a speakers bureau that connects young Black students with authors
and illustrators who look like them. How impactful is that representation? This
testimonial from a Little Rock organization says it all: “This was one of the
most phenomenal experiences we’ve been able to bring to our students. When the
students heard the author shout out to them they screamed to the top of their
lungs with excitement and pride. The students ask everyday “what book are we
reading next and who is the author?” As Patrick often says, who got next?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="https://www.speakloudly.com/?fbclid=IwAR0mdTE0zN7_vRiMgBzMRamJfwdhlAAVDS2sRFdhN3axDZPc5ib7iuxzeO0" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://www.speakloudly.com/</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because
of Them We Can<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
began in February 2013 as a photo campaign where children appeared as iconic
Black history figures. Eunique Jones Gibson was inspired by her sons to teach
Black history while connecting the dots between the past, present and future.
Today, Because of Them We Can® is a full movement powered by an online platform
that reaches millions every month. Perhaps the best known project of the
movement is the Because of Them We Can (BOTWC) Box. The first Black history
subscription box for kids, it’s a curated learning experience that uses branded
apparel, educational activities, and other products to help children learn
about Black history makers, organizations and movements.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word </span><a href="https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/?fbclid=IwAR0jJtE09wE6oO8rBeaEHhdYBiQzmTHcn1Fyy9DFVLjcYvA4vxTBI0aS78Y" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheHstryMakers/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXCVvH5Cn8DmUMXz_wNzX6Vfx1KEJ4U6wRVyhoXHFrQVDw_d2yaWZa4M8TTwG03oAVB9z4Donyveiji_RQ5clhRwHGs-EQ60a-w4TcVe9h4npTQF_0wgPpBIx2fWYbDioWjgG_75VUIwOZO9J2ZcBpJSCM8P7dmhXImqh0TNJNikxoEIKWEzfx-8Or-AK6Mx1k&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheHstryMakers/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXCVvH5Cn8DmUMXz_wNzX6Vfx1KEJ4U6wRVyhoXHFrQVDw_d2yaWZa4M8TTwG03oAVB9z4Donyveiji_RQ5clhRwHGs-EQ60a-w4TcVe9h4npTQF_0wgPpBIx2fWYbDioWjgG_75VUIwOZO9J2ZcBpJSCM8P7dmhXImqh0TNJNikxoEIKWEzfx-8Or-AK6Mx1k&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
<b>The HistoryMakers</b></span><b><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #050505;">Before
2000, there was only one large-scale project during the 20th century project
that chronicled African-American history from a first-person perspective: the
WPA Slave Narratives. The HistoryMakers changed that. Founded to address the
lack of documentation and preservation of the African American historical
record, The HistoryMakers shares a century of African-American history one interview
at a time. To date, the non-profit has conducted more than 3,000 interviews,
sharing many previously unrecorded stories that educate the world about African
American life, history, and culture. The interviews are housed permanently at
the Library of Congress and are available in the organization’s digital
archive.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more and spread the word: </span><a href="https://www.thehistorymakers.org/?fbclid=IwAR0hJEKEJB3WLNEUK6oMyVDr85zEeV_yz9_lZneESwZNEbPjhZoBc5NrMfE" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://www.thehistorymakers.org/</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/VTCNJ/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXq-zNUcDFtpdllyO4IrOOGh2yaYhyQdnTJfiBt0iDf4-9VLgyBZjU5-7dkkC4Uv9GKRFEVqLcBRGp6GCwlAo74oYHvO0UJW1mDmLdEfw1ZqGOXXvjJhdtJxp3iHm0XToRLaB1_8SfGUfhYzCGvu25nUbcuu_ksGlxRzwZo7Sl0tZ5zb9_hMT3yAe1FRy9_JmU&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/VTCNJ/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZXq-zNUcDFtpdllyO4IrOOGh2yaYhyQdnTJfiBt0iDf4-9VLgyBZjU5-7dkkC4Uv9GKRFEVqLcBRGp6GCwlAo74oYHvO0UJW1mDmLdEfw1ZqGOXXvjJhdtJxp3iHm0XToRLaB1_8SfGUfhYzCGvu25nUbcuu_ksGlxRzwZo7Sl0tZ5zb9_hMT3yAe1FRy9_JmU&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Vanguard Theater
Company</span><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Its productions focus
on racial literacy, social justice, and color-conscious casting. The latest,
premiering this Thursday, Feb. 18, is “How Black Performers Peeled the Tar off
Blackface: Setting the Stage for American Musical Theater,” which explores the
history of minstrelsy and how Black producers, playwrights, and composers used
this form of entertainment as a catalyst to change the narrative and begin
telling their own stories.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The organization
presenting this critical work is Vanguard Theater Company, whose mission is to
change the narrative through theater dedicated to DREAM: Diversity,
Reciprocity, Education, Activism & Mentorship. The Company’s presented its latest
work on February 18 during a video presentation and conversation featuring
Vanguard's Founding Artistic Director, Janeece Freeman Clark; singer-filmmaker
and founder of the Living Heritage Foundation, Susheel Bibbs; and Professor of
English and Director of the African American Studies program for Boston
University, Louis Chude-Sokei. Preview the production here: <a href="https://vimeo.com/512715482?fbclid=IwAR1oz6mU0x8342sIKDaon13uTa8rDfYUb1IFfwVDbo3a35OW8OpOBR6V4g4" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">https://vimeo.com/512715482</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EyeSeeMe/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZWr_rmekgKvXqdCMIqjI40S5EJ46aKhf5D14rMasCUNQOxvy7cghHCXo58OHT2PiuqDn1RHSzGBZjF-z_WyOBA9lLpd7wG9Kf5e9q1ARU60QfkyoWnyikZI54DZeDTIgg9BQcPAFvzchcZBYF17ZXFvogg_wCL0aRbXQFRdOqkHJQvv_oaafz-P6SRA7EJE89k&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EyeSeeMe/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZWr_rmekgKvXqdCMIqjI40S5EJ46aKhf5D14rMasCUNQOxvy7cghHCXo58OHT2PiuqDn1RHSzGBZjF-z_WyOBA9lLpd7wG9Kf5e9q1ARU60QfkyoWnyikZI54DZeDTIgg9BQcPAFvzchcZBYF17ZXFvogg_wCL0aRbXQFRdOqkHJQvv_oaafz-P6SRA7EJE89k&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlD4QGbRxXpupP0Vd76A_1lhkjwIg6-96Xy755IJvn98Jrl9fmueztylE4FI2Q_6hPixGCX0IPJ0lMu7PyPgH282y42SDwqPEus9hWHZOGx8Vi9GQ-JgoLiGtO4p_SiDCf1Ewz_lRG76k/s1280/CC+-+Vanguard+Theater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlD4QGbRxXpupP0Vd76A_1lhkjwIg6-96Xy755IJvn98Jrl9fmueztylE4FI2Q_6hPixGCX0IPJ0lMu7PyPgH282y42SDwqPEus9hWHZOGx8Vi9GQ-JgoLiGtO4p_SiDCf1Ewz_lRG76k/s320/CC+-+Vanguard+Theater.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
<b>Eyeseeme</b></span><b><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Their mission is to
be a resource to parents, teachers and schools who need children’s books that
promote a positive reflection of African-American culture and history. And
Pamela and Jeffrey Blair achieve that mission through their bookstore:
EyeSeeMe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EyeSeeMe is the only
children’s bookstore devoted exclusively to African American centered books.
Based in University City, MO, the family owned and operated business is a full
service bookstore with both a retail location and online store. Their selection
is diverse; they have classroom sets and book bundles, a subscription service,
and audio books. They also go beyond traditional book sales, offering community
bookfairs, a reading mentorship program, and cultural presentations. If you
follow them on Facebook, you’ll can catch live storytime featuring Ms. Tracey
reading one of thousands of books in EyeSeeMe’s collection.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Learn more, support
and spread the word: <a href="https://www.eyeseeme.com/?fbclid=IwAR0cEiG4WNqB-rc3sQgfjbCR3DPdv9wVi48ziV5YFYBe6qFF4GyBRdB0PBs" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">https://www.eyeseeme.com/</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><b style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">GirlTrek</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">GirlTrek
is walking inspiration. The nation’s largest public health nonprofit for
African-American women and girls it was founded by best friends, Vanessa
Garrison and Morgan Dixon, and encourages women to use walking as a practical
first step toward healthy living, families, and communities. Their vision is a
health movement “grounded in civil rights history and principles through
walking campaigns, community leadership, and health advocacy." They make
that grounding easy and accessible through projects like the Black History
Bootcamp. The series challenges participants to walk for 30 mins a day for 21
days while listening to podcast episodes dedicated to a Black person or moment
in history. They produced three podcast seasons in 2020 — each focused on a different
theme but all leaving listeners with new insight and inspiration.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="https://www.girltrek.org/?fbclid=IwAR0ol74E-R5miDhx7XrzJesn5NrA-kM1o06bZKL5_ksfH6zI98WAKkH_U1M" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://www.girltrek.org</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfXgdw92yzCkUpk71paQ1H2K53Q6a2QM6lerjH0oJUXMVJYqQPcaKy7STIMnFcwfE1-F6ZsSZlNIb5KAFWi9YeJwUtnmGez9C8Idc-0oCBcdB_xHtBWZ2xxnhxn_3dJo69x080pjKDNRO/s843/CC+-+Girl+Trek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="843" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfXgdw92yzCkUpk71paQ1H2K53Q6a2QM6lerjH0oJUXMVJYqQPcaKy7STIMnFcwfE1-F6ZsSZlNIb5KAFWi9YeJwUtnmGez9C8Idc-0oCBcdB_xHtBWZ2xxnhxn_3dJo69x080pjKDNRO/s320/CC+-+Girl+Trek.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #050505;">Dare
to Be King</span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author
David Miller founded the Dare to Be King Project to inspire Black boys and men
by supporting the organizations that serve them. David recognized that some
organizations had the passion to do good work, but did not have the
programmatic expertise to realize their vision. So he structured Dare to Be
King to focus on strong partnerships, strategies, and solutions-oriented
approaches that would help organizations create effective, high-impact
programming. The organization has four focus areas: academic success/growth,
emotional development, healthy notions of manhood/masculinity and familial
reconciliation. Services include after school program design, mentorship
transformation, curriculum design, and administrative consultation; support
materials range from books to curricula to workshops. Community partners have
called the organization’s work essential and a game changer: “From positive
identity to decision making and problem solving, [Dare to Be King] helps
African American boys successfully navigate their way into adulthood.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="http://daretobeking.net/?fbclid=IwAR2bE7h9s0-V_UMZ8b3I7zHo9UMT_JnkttloLzra2HVvy8i5Yqkd8jHe_kI" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">http://daretobeking.net</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/aalbcfanpage/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZUELX5tY6saA24CXlT5Nc2QSq27H5tZ8HM46nKuAYm6NTO9p6GE96QfYWAUJPEE-drji_D_o3erEc8MWDe5FY2v-fGH9RN3Nku0Ee45xYeKCBZueoZB1ElzzSMGX3R-GsJKI2nkkci6-LYLLnBwO1ZnhMhH6wqp2NoSrw6Dw5Fku-L7IelJLyoSB_5lgwbSBv0&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/aalbcfanpage/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZUELX5tY6saA24CXlT5Nc2QSq27H5tZ8HM46nKuAYm6NTO9p6GE96QfYWAUJPEE-drji_D_o3erEc8MWDe5FY2v-fGH9RN3Nku0Ee45xYeKCBZueoZB1ElzzSMGX3R-GsJKI2nkkci6-LYLLnBwO1ZnhMhH6wqp2NoSrw6Dw5Fku-L7IelJLyoSB_5lgwbSBv0&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
<b>AALBC.com</b></span><b><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t sell books
just sell books and make money. It’s because what I want to is share our story,
make sure our story gets out and doesn’t get distorted.” Troy Johnson, founder
& webmaster, AALBC</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> </o:p>AALBC is the oldest,
largest, and most popular online bookstore dedicated to African-American and
Black literature from around the world. Founded in 1997 by Troy Johnson, AALBC
maintains a curated and growing collection of more than 14,000 books covering a
century of Black literature. It also provides a variety of resources and
services to authors and publishers to help them understand and reach the
marketplace. Looking for reviews, bestsellers, awards lists, author
information, discussion forums? You’ll also find it all on AALBC.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Learn more, support
and spread the word: <span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faalbc.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2v8cZo2hSNVCpg6aUUN5GfQY6RGMHYYfaFExyhyIJmMOn7W64Zz1m5frM&h=AT1kFdj3PFfUNQDMdYfkuWQtsduhVDdYwoy5N6pE9UUPpAqfKSIfPLQJkIxO9aZCqbd_mkb19ktI0K_SpBhWl4uGdNkwclHbQmztCtz9NQ23bg55iQkKbnehSu8TzMfZ3Q&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5b0%5d=AT0rGUSY5eOQZb-pAqJ5183s-YgbGhHUE4Q1sE6H4367q3qCeQZEVLZvSC4PWfvJuk3XgqefLbJ0oUaU8LttEIjHNaUEdPWK4KYDGds0dyDjUetnvXSU7DEnCRYRfQprGfzKFY8h7BtYLwRWikjugc1XRpOLv-MCqtx7VV1-Hv2-hX6Kr1NKM_BQyNZDIP8G379OEvY" target="_blank">https://aalbc.com</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SesiMagazine/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZV9Nz0Rssw4kCiz4HJJMkmm8zx6O1jbfcoGjOX2TJmNU7PxEl3m_YtVsmOavL3qfHYU4QB0un9xh3mrwONtDxGQiee993UeQ9poHa4agnN7yEEygI6NCKdDmjslPeVX0jplSDEX502vZafyjLqP4NCmkC6y-UhciGP2pEXFSFNaRIUEcDBsguxpLHUxzrqDsRA&__tn__=kK-R">
<b>Sesi Magazine</b><o:p></o:p></a></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #050505;">“Sesi”
means “sister” in Sotho, a Bantu language spoken mainly in Southern Africa.
It’s also the name of the only teen magazine for Black girls published today.
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher Andréa Butler founded Sesi with her friend Shannon to
fill a void. “As a teen, I had what my mom called, “an intense obsession” with
magazines. But I got sick of reading mags I couldn’t relate to.” One day she
thought “If there’s still not a teen magazine that speaks to Black girls by the
time I’m done with school, I’ll start one myself.” And she did. Sesi’s first
issue was published in 2012. It now has more than 20,000 readers and cover
stars who have included Chloe x Halle, Assante Black and Marsai Martin.
Subscriptions for the quarterly print magazine are $15 a year. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support, and spread the word: </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://sesimag.com/?fbclid=IwAR3TGuUhm7JohmVe85wWn28b2gb73i3LJTPsLPCiD7dnrXYGJw3daISx5V8" target="_blank">https://sesimag.com</a></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #050505;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUhNs4CR4MKAcSSWtUJaIjrG6LOX3NlZSt6kOm4oXkO2rcAKjFNpP6zbQdrBLwc-eYe8XBHL5Wrhdieqq7PS5gLLbQr3_getvYgTyEaWXM_85l_sh4HfOLd7Dpz0xSUprNub04TBGzrCj/s768/CC+-+Sesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUhNs4CR4MKAcSSWtUJaIjrG6LOX3NlZSt6kOm4oXkO2rcAKjFNpP6zbQdrBLwc-eYe8XBHL5Wrhdieqq7PS5gLLbQr3_getvYgTyEaWXM_85l_sh4HfOLd7Dpz0xSUprNub04TBGzrCj/s320/CC+-+Sesi.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Bisa
Butler<o:p></o:p></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
subjects are African Americans from ordinary walks of life. Their photographs
may have been captured during a family portrait or taken by a passing
photographer. Either way, their often untold stories inspire artist Bisa Butler
and she takes that inspiration to her fabric to create art quilts.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #050505;">Bisa
graduated from Howard University, where she says professors taught students to
be proud of their African heritage and that they had a responsibility to
document and correct the misinformation that had been told about their people.
That’s precisely what Bisa does using fabrics from Ghana (where her father is
from), batiks from Nigeria, and prints from South Africa. All of her pieces are
done in life scale, which she says invites the viewer to engage in a dialogue.
“I am inviting a reimagining and a contemporary dialogue about age old issues,
still problematic in our culture, through the comforting, embracing medium of
the quilt.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
2020, her portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai was featured
as a cover for Time Magazine’s special issue honoring the 100 Women of the
Year. “Bisa Butler: Portraits” is currently on exhibit at the Art Institute of
Chicago. Learn more about Bisa and her work at: <a href="https://www.bisabutler.com/?fbclid=IwAR2yxrV2WBJT9wEvxUyfInFF0KODijqmeJ6lSecdTdpGAjMwie9Fro1aioE" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://www.bisabutler.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThirdWorldPressFoundation/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZU8tYE5Hl5wjNXoXKhT1PiL-bRIbuQLxOBpxe3lZxVVgzcdleGQGlRMWHql3rA8_TQGXPaCH5kEjXIe-hSE9qPMAdgaD9CMEkRShdppA9itjR_ucngQGO8ebWLvVfn2O0JC3OgwVbK7JqHsrBkXeCqiNpNI1pUvcuXTBIx8rO6atHKHG568hqegukMsrzfixyU&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThirdWorldPressFoundation/?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZU8tYE5Hl5wjNXoXKhT1PiL-bRIbuQLxOBpxe3lZxVVgzcdleGQGlRMWHql3rA8_TQGXPaCH5kEjXIe-hSE9qPMAdgaD9CMEkRShdppA9itjR_ucngQGO8ebWLvVfn2O0JC3OgwVbK7JqHsrBkXeCqiNpNI1pUvcuXTBIx8rO6atHKHG568hqegukMsrzfixyU&__tn__=kK-R"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyc2INU5Uj9NJRetMduY4OkjeFW8Wi-aKFQhr4UuVT5xPXl9iaqq0CDieIZe8xLd2jgONGWPgUVGwnmxYEIzrPebO4y9xRxqfotKmQplh8b7MO3VfcJb45Vgd92B1YyyHsISp4_fUlC58/s660/CC+-+Bisa+Butler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyc2INU5Uj9NJRetMduY4OkjeFW8Wi-aKFQhr4UuVT5xPXl9iaqq0CDieIZe8xLd2jgONGWPgUVGwnmxYEIzrPebO4y9xRxqfotKmQplh8b7MO3VfcJb45Vgd92B1YyyHsISp4_fUlC58/s320/CC+-+Bisa+Butler.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
Third World Press Foundation</span><span style="border: none; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
year was 1967. Haki R. Madhubuti, then known as Don L. Lee, took a $400
honorarium he received from a poetry reading and a used mimeograph machine, to
found what would become one of the most influential Black institutions in the
nation: Third World Press. One of his goals was to cultivate a broader
readership of individuals who wanted to gain greater insight into African
American cultural traditions. He had the support of luminaries like Margaret
Burroughs, Dudley Randall, Gwendolyn Brooks and others who were committed to
Black Arts and empowerment movements. For more than 50 years, the Press has
been dedicated to publishing a rich tradition of African American writing, with
a list that includes work by Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez,
Mari Evans, Margaret Walker, Sterling Plumpp, John Henrik Clarke, Useni Eugene
Perkins, Pearl Cleage, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Marc Lamont Hill, Tony Medina,
Wade Hudson, and of course its founder Haki Madhubuti. Today, Third World Press
Foundation is the oldest independent publisher of Black thought and literature
in the U.S.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="https://thirdworldpressfoundation.org/?fbclid=IwAR3nAWo2UiJ4GbSegRQhN6PqdK2_H4PwHbGJsHJLg7b49p8EydQp__NioL0" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">https://thirdworldpressfoundation.org</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><b><span style="color: #050505;">Pan-African
Connection</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
“shortest trip to Africa without getting on a plane" - Pan-African
Connection is a bookstore, art gallery and resource center that specializes in
the history, health and forward movement of African people. Founded in 1989 by
Bandele Tyehimba, the Dallas-based store has one of the largest online retail
African art galleries in the world. When Bandele died in 2012, his wife Akwete
stepped up to keep the business running and daughter Adjwoa Tyehimba later came
on board serving as the CFO. In addition to books and art, the Center also
sells clothes, learning materials, jewelry and natural hair care products all in
support of its vision: Connecting African people scattered globally with our
great history, culture and collective strength, uniting Africa and African
Peoples, and the upliftment of humanity worldwide.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #050505;">Learn
more, support and spread the word: </span><a href="https://www.panafricanconnection.com/?fbclid=IwAR1WwrAOe9sHOChEGZtCQkRF-q660sys1992gPYFhK26h1Lrf1AAa5KwSX0" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0in;">https://www.panafricanconnection.com</span></a></span></p>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-14645437198794209312021-01-31T16:21:00.004-05:002021-01-31T16:54:42.010-05:00Black History Month 2021 – A Reflection by Wade Hudson<p><i> “Truth must be dug up from the past and presented to the circle of scholastics in scientific form and then through stories and dramatizations that will permeate our educational system.”</i> <br />- Carter G. Woodson</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_omnkkhrbmS6aHDVTxwQ1koJb6VCwD54hMus9ePB38PwllKPLXU5pR01s8TdmMAy-lYcsa93QLAbJuY-DK4bS6jiI1pKfEJvc5xGyYotn50Y-gdQdq-E1AT19FOgr6HdA6FPwnO-fR0Kx/s960/Carter-G-Woodson-0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_omnkkhrbmS6aHDVTxwQ1koJb6VCwD54hMus9ePB38PwllKPLXU5pR01s8TdmMAy-lYcsa93QLAbJuY-DK4bS6jiI1pKfEJvc5xGyYotn50Y-gdQdq-E1AT19FOgr6HdA6FPwnO-fR0Kx/s320/Carter-G-Woodson-0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carter G. Woodson, scholar and founder of Black History Month</td></tr></tbody></table>These words from the founder of Black History Month often guide my efforts to write about the history of people of African descent. So much of that history has been distorted or omitted from classes, books, movies and more. Woodson explains it this way: “The thought of the inferiority of the Negro is drilled into him in almost every class he enters and in almost every book he studies.“ The thought that Black people are inferior has been drilled into white people as well. </p><p>Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926 to combat this deliberate, organized historical scheme to rob Black people of their history and role in the development of civilization. In 1915, he helped to found the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History to promote the scientific study of Black life and history because he recognized the importance of researching and sharing this history. The following year, he established The Journal of Negro History which published scholarly research about Black history and life. So, establishing Negro History Week was a continuation of his important work.</p><p>As early as 1920, in fact, Woodson had urged Black organizations, including his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, to promote the achievements that researchers were uncovering. In 1924, Omega Psi Phi began Negro History and Literature Week, which was later renamed Negro Achievement Week. Woodson wanted their efforts to have greater impact so he expanded what Omega Psi Phi had done. </p><p>Months before that first celebration in 1926, Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History sent out promotional brochures and pamphlets suggesting ways to celebrate Negro History Week. These promotions went to state boards of education, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, women's clubs, Black newspapers, and white scholarly journals. He chose the second week of February for the observance because the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men that Black Americans celebrated, fell during that week. Woodson continued to develop materials for the annual celebration, including photographs, books, pamphlets, and other promotional literature. In 1928 he created a "Table of 152 Important Events and Dates in Negro History" to make important milestones in Black history available in one resource. </p><p>During the early years, Negro History Week included celebrations, parades, plays, banquets, lectures, exhibits and other special presentations. And it was enormously successful. In his autobiography Dusk of Dawn (1940), W. E. B. Du Bois wrote that Negro History Week was the greatest single accomplishment to arise from the Harlem Renaissance. </p><p>By the early 1970s, a few cities and organizations expanded the observance to a month and began calling it Black History Month. In 1976, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which had continued to oversee the management of the observance, declared the entire month of February Black History Month. </p><p>Carter G. Woodson, however, did not intend for Black history to be relegated to one week or month. He believed that the weekly “celebrations” would eventually come to an end. He never viewed Black history as a one-week affair. He advocated for year-round study and celebration of Black history. He pushed for schools to use Negro History Week to demonstrate what students had learned all year. He also established a Black studies extension program to reach adults throughout the year so they too could learn of their history on a regular basis. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXPwX-LnB-Qa2rkbQaqwpUzcRXqMOJ1UB8aL0IkkhLT57sCv2KV8RlQmZuZIH13wzmsohuoha70DSYNN5LppOonB0hR2bdE66ebBvRQ7chtXcgM0_d1-iaX-AbWD2i2C412YCbbfFX15Y/s960/Wade+Hudson+BHM+Benjamin+Banneker+School+East+Orange+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXPwX-LnB-Qa2rkbQaqwpUzcRXqMOJ1UB8aL0IkkhLT57sCv2KV8RlQmZuZIH13wzmsohuoha70DSYNN5LppOonB0hR2bdE66ebBvRQ7chtXcgM0_d1-iaX-AbWD2i2C412YCbbfFX15Y/w320-h213/Wade+Hudson+BHM+Benjamin+Banneker+School+East+Orange+2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade Hudson speaks during a Black History Month <br />celebration at Benjamin Banneker School <br />in East Orange, NJ</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>I’m grateful for Carter G. Woodson, his vision and his work, which provide a foundation for our mission at Just Us Books. And we know so much more work still needs to be done. Most Americans still know little about the history and contributions of Black people. Woodson understood how crucial it was that we all know more about that history. That’s why he dedicated much of his life making it more assessible. </p><p>I consider it my duty, as many of those before me did, to write about our history, to share our stories, and to shed light on the rich legacy that we have as a people. Black History Month continues to be necessary. But like Carter G. Woodson, I believe it should be a celebration of all the Black history we’re learning throughout the year, not a one-month elevation and recycling of select Black achievers. </p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Wade Hudson is an author, publisher and president of Just Us Books, a publishing company he founded with his wife Cheryl, which produces books that center and celebrate Black history, stories and experiences. His latest book is <a href="https://justusbooks.com/adult-titles-by-wade-hudson/" target="_blank">Journey</a>, a collection of poems published by Third World Press.</span></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>JustUsBooks.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14583572961914022954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-61362799855136471642021-01-04T20:23:00.003-05:002021-01-04T20:26:20.812-05:00New for the New Year<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">There’s a Maya Angelou quote we love. It reads: “This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” Like so many of her words, it’s a beautiful reminder. A reminder to practice gratitude, to see each new day as a gift — and that includes each new day we are blessed to continue our mission as a company.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">We are grateful for the bright moments of 2020 (And there were many! Check out highlights in our </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3Ded26e672d7c780a3a283a538c%26id%3D15925a2e31%26e%3D736d36d04e&source=gmail&ust=1609893173947000&usg=AFQjCNGVAJBKiBW2gXf5nft-sF8ARMAufg" href="https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed26e672d7c780a3a283a538c&id=15925a2e31&e=736d36d04e" style="color: #007c89; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">video</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">.) We’re grateful that Just Us Books weathered 2020’s challenges and continues to inspire readers through books that celebrate the richness of Black history and culture. We are grateful for almost 33 years in business and for each of you for your support.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">We have lots to look forward to in 2021, including the April release of </span><strong style="color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"><em>Papa’s Free Day Party</em></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">, a picture book by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Wayne Anthony Still. This is a very special story, based on Marilyn’s family. You can read more in The Brown Bookshelf’s </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3Ded26e672d7c780a3a283a538c%26id%3Dcefda2e35b%26e%3D736d36d04e&source=gmail&ust=1609893173947000&usg=AFQjCNHM2eW9KrXmvHxtji8xBT5GZ6JGoQ" href="https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed26e672d7c780a3a283a538c&id=cefda2e35b&e=736d36d04e" style="color: #007c89; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">cover reveal article</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">What are you grateful for as we enter this new year? No matter what’s on your gratitude list, we wish you more “wonderful days” in 2021 and beyond.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AE9ztGX4qBI/X_O_PRI9k-I/AAAAAAAA4VY/549fiRjYBZ42CK9PPylnbxlAgWH2GTyeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Papas%2BFree%2BDay%2BParty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1559" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AE9ztGX4qBI/X_O_PRI9k-I/AAAAAAAA4VY/549fiRjYBZ42CK9PPylnbxlAgWH2GTyeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w305-h400/Papas%2BFree%2BDay%2BParty.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coming April 2021. Available for <a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-0-940975-72-9/" target="_blank">pre-order</a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p>webmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-88008037760430949782020-10-01T08:29:00.005-04:002020-10-01T08:30:29.714-04:00Just Us Books Turns 32!!<p>Today marks the beginning of Just Us Books’ 32nd year in business!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZX_YSk4lroN_Y71bcNTLK86HbT291N9BFRbHI6H94pclretlsieluCO1hGIXUtPgfxM0f-WV-d0WnZrTGLO7xn2a6S8X33_se8gPtbgexcWFS5X9N2uXFTgVBpWcB0Dcd-HyNzUaggM/s1665/JUB32+3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZX_YSk4lroN_Y71bcNTLK86HbT291N9BFRbHI6H94pclretlsieluCO1hGIXUtPgfxM0f-WV-d0WnZrTGLO7xn2a6S8X33_se8gPtbgexcWFS5X9N2uXFTgVBpWcB0Dcd-HyNzUaggM/s320/JUB32+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>32 years of centering and celebrating Black people, Black history and Black stories through children’s books. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p>32 years of advocating for diversity in children’s publishing. </p><p>32 years as a Black owned business. </p><p>32 years of hard work. </p><p>Thank you to our talented family of authors, illustrators, editors, designers, and staff who make our work possible. </p><p>Thank you to our readers who remind us every day that our work is needed.</p><p>We continue!</p><br />Just Us Books<br /><i>Good books make a difference<br /></i><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq9dLI9Hr1U/X3T-7a1xysI/AAAAAAAA3qQ/0LDe2rpWtnQ2tAXlGfhJ99V4tQVUSQARACLcBGAsYHQ/s1050/JUB32%2B4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1050" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq9dLI9Hr1U/X3T-7a1xysI/AAAAAAAA3qQ/0LDe2rpWtnQ2tAXlGfhJ99V4tQVUSQARACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JUB32%2B4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YLKweA0NMM/X3T-3tQxeYI/AAAAAAAA3qM/FeB2o_SZ3TQZ0s_tG2uqBSHCRgl-m2k0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1056/JUB32%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1056" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YLKweA0NMM/X3T-3tQxeYI/AAAAAAAA3qM/FeB2o_SZ3TQZ0s_tG2uqBSHCRgl-m2k0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JUB32%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz5rTl6PlffE7gvi-dPJLX-2lZDAoLSTi6DdnlsCBXYJMd24wSMhcNRXLRuJSPnYVDym6e-8Bmg9CNdG8gW4mKCB0PLe47N20LrX_2-kk2TeZSQbDnZBP_LWJgF7NGbTEmeCS_jT06A4/s320/JUB32+5.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLV8Ejq5nNo/X3T-1PISmwI/AAAAAAAA3qg/-Clwn2tENEgAD5TvIrvcaYnpATSVO5iSQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/JUB32%2B1.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="878" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nHbT6UzeWikldH312KeOF2WGi3Mcykr7jP7P1Rhl-pBIBKa0uC_f8lCxp2Lm9AY2RisAvXQP8pxNILICgIqQmFsZ9l2eUf_7EGg45OGP3Zpz3y0JmuDNUJl7ayomujr_vzfOAjyJ2Rc/s320/JUB+in+Cuba+2019_51947638_10156356921774480_6838621811169558528_n.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHUv6rtmFA8/X3UBVrd7JcI/AAAAAAAA3q4/IkAqXsU9R94SPz7149Z7YXeKPrmwchUUACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/JUB32%2B7.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHUv6rtmFA8/X3UBVrd7JcI/AAAAAAAA3q4/IkAqXsU9R94SPz7149Z7YXeKPrmwchUUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JUB32%2B7.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MNcevyNvzaQ/X3UBR6e5TUI/AAAAAAAA3q0/B78Q-YW1kFIPAt5hZQtLtcsq0ruMJzVtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/JUB32%2B6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MNcevyNvzaQ/X3UBR6e5TUI/AAAAAAAA3q0/B78Q-YW1kFIPAt5hZQtLtcsq0ruMJzVtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JUB32%2B6.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p>webmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-66062274397285950692020-09-09T13:22:00.000-04:002020-09-09T13:22:28.663-04:00Celebrating Our Scholars this Back to School Season<p>It’s BACK TO SCHOOL season! And though school may look different right now, it’s still important to celebrate our young scholars and the importance of learning. Here are a few titles from the Just Us Books list that do just that:</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcddoar3kWBKRAQoqo5PPtUac4YJkMSid1p26c5utFPnasp_OHtNqcvjA-D9nOB7yMKW6tg_eXO1yz5sum4OhdQZYlCQrYsxRPQes3Zi-cHW8J6YlgUK9zNywOP9ftyS0gPdi-0mVh6U/s814/Jamal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcddoar3kWBKRAQoqo5PPtUac4YJkMSid1p26c5utFPnasp_OHtNqcvjA-D9nOB7yMKW6tg_eXO1yz5sum4OhdQZYlCQrYsxRPQes3Zi-cHW8J6YlgUK9zNywOP9ftyS0gPdi-0mVh6U/s320/Jamal.jpeg" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">Meet Jamal – an energetic boy who shows how demanding and eventful his day is as a student. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3Ded26e672d7c780a3a283a538c%26id%3Dc3bf9f06ee%26e%3D736d36d04e&source=gmail&ust=1599757200496000&usg=AFQjCNGF8d85AvP-x5JTIT8n2sUPFWQH5Q" href="https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed26e672d7c780a3a283a538c&id=c3bf9f06ee&e=736d36d04e" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Read mor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">e</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1266" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eua12cOdbko/X1kNoaTQGPI/AAAAAAAA3dI/XbAKA_RgKdwomx8QKBsK5-0qmLS6B47dwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Aloha.jpeg" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;" /></span></div><div>Eight-year-old Carol Ann finds out how much ‘aloha’ means as she makes a place for herself at her new school. <span style="background-color: white; color: #e4af0a; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3Ded26e672d7c780a3a283a538c%26id%3D7c2f96119c%26e%3D736d36d04e&source=gmail&ust=1599757200496000&usg=AFQjCNGm9VW__dZh3jzOCETUQetJsJGRUg" href="https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed26e672d7c780a3a283a538c&id=7c2f96119c&e=736d36d04e" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" target="_blank"> Read more</a></span></div><div><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1578" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gZY-mQKvZoY/X1kNq4mzszI/AAAAAAAA3dM/dmsyUe1plD8EnfHQuM9WCEK--pTv-ZKPACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Im%2BGoing%2Bto%2BBe.jpeg" /><div>The AFRO-BETS Kids have an exciting school project: to present what they want to be when they grow up! And they have a lot of Black leaders and achievers as examples .<span style="background-color: white; color: #e4af0a; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3Ded26e672d7c780a3a283a538c%26id%3D658157327d%26e%3D736d36d04e&source=gmail&ust=1599757200496000&usg=AFQjCNGLGyYSZ3VBWbscrB-kM6Jwc_SqEA" href="https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed26e672d7c780a3a283a538c&id=658157327d&e=736d36d04e" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" target="_blank">Read more</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span><div><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1322" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IT-55983dW8/X1kNtNsRcsI/AAAAAAAA3dQ/WWZisdVn2J8VZzN4qXTEiM4m1ecnqesNACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Path.jpeg" /></div><div>Being a teenager is tough enough. But imagine starting freshman year at a new high school that's not just in a new city, but a new country? That's life for 14-year-old Thandie, who just moved from Capetown, South Africa to Buena Vista, California. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3Ded26e672d7c780a3a283a538c%26id%3Dd8a5115a41%26e%3D736d36d04e&source=gmail&ust=1599757200496000&usg=AFQjCNHfCYWEx04zA5qqV9NKA3p9aTqU7g" href="https://justusbooks.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed26e672d7c780a3a283a538c&id=d8a5115a41&e=736d36d04e" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e4af0a;">Read more</span></a></div></div>webmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-15827301563605637272020-06-05T08:22:00.001-04:002020-06-05T08:24:57.851-04:00A Meditation for #KidLit4BlackLives<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>offered by Wade and Cheryl Hudson</b><br />
authors and founders of Just Us Books</div>
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June 4, 2020</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhBf2SJrHRn2a9M7-AAcpKFiSzwYjl3heBh9FGYZakA3PloV9bnfup1-y2b0r7nZgiCPyiW04A2DJ6zEMA-jlhN4ZpC-cAvxEHYx9PDYoEwujc9yInTg5DNbZyBZQCAgeVvjqQDwKsus/s1600/Kid+Lit+for+Black+Lives+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1242" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhBf2SJrHRn2a9M7-AAcpKFiSzwYjl3heBh9FGYZakA3PloV9bnfup1-y2b0r7nZgiCPyiW04A2DJ6zEMA-jlhN4ZpC-cAvxEHYx9PDYoEwujc9yInTg5DNbZyBZQCAgeVvjqQDwKsus/s320/Kid+Lit+for+Black+Lives+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We lift up the Creator who made us all to be beautiful and safe.<br />
But must witness that beauty and safety, assaulted, century by century, generation by generation, even day by day, by racism, hatred, insensitivity, intolerance and indifference.<br />
<br />
We lift up our families, the village and the world community that<br />
must fight to make sure that the inherent beauty in us all can flower and bless us all.<br />
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We lift up our children who are our hope and whose beauty gives life to all that is around them. So, we embrace and love the children!<br />
<br />
We lift up the sanctity of all life, but especially Black life, Black bodies that have been, over centuries too long, trivialized, brutalized, monetized and destroyed simply because they are Black.<br />
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We lift up freedom and justice, for which our ancestors fought, and for which we must continuously pursue, without hesitation, without ceasing, until they are realized.<br />
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We lift up this call to action, the commitment needed to do the work to create a world where our beauty as human beings is valued and can spring forth and all of us can feel safe.<br />
<br />
This call to action resounds across the ages in “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem. <br />
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<i>Lift ev’ry voice and sing, Till earth and Heaven ring</i><br />
<i>Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Let our rejoicing rise, High as the list’ning skies,</i><br />
<i>let it resound loud as the Rolling sea.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Sing a song, full of the faith that the dark past has taught us;</i><br />
<i>Sing a song, full of the hope that the present has brought us.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Facing the rising sun, of our new day begun,</i><br />
<i>Let us march on, [let us protest on, let us fight on,] </i><br />
<i>till victory is won.</i><br />
<br />
Ase'<br />
Ase'<br />
Ase'<br />
Ase'<br />
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The <b>KidLit Community Rally for Black Lives</b> was organized by Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds and hosted by The Brown Bookshelf. A replay is available <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=248795633092755" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Visit <a href="https://thebrownbookshelf.com/2020/06/04/kidlit-rally-4-black-lives-anti-racist-resources-for-children-families-and-educators/" target="_blank">The Brown Bookshelf</a> for additional anti-racist resources for children, families and educators.<br />
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<br />webmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-2321427101443376742020-05-31T09:42:00.001-04:002020-05-31T09:42:48.055-04:00Wade and Cheryl Hudson Launch Interview Series: “Just Us &”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-zpnhYWNSIJ0etyL-5vRI__X9Vp2_XrZXfuhjp8ecxeSbq6yhT2CRC6TLDQKeIc_TcDD4UWp5vOGjzTaMrb1reymcJAf_cfw8u9a0uCC1qlwsXpLFRAfsA6GkuThuT-6vVoCeAZg6ec/s1600/Just+Us+And+-+promo+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-zpnhYWNSIJ0etyL-5vRI__X9Vp2_XrZXfuhjp8ecxeSbq6yhT2CRC6TLDQKeIc_TcDD4UWp5vOGjzTaMrb1reymcJAf_cfw8u9a0uCC1qlwsXpLFRAfsA6GkuThuT-6vVoCeAZg6ec/s400/Just+Us+And+-+promo+shot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We’re excited to announce <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">“Just Us &,” </span>a new interview series hosted by <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Wade</span> and <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cheryl Hudson</span>, authors and founders of Just Us Books. The series will feature conversations between the Hudsons and book creators, as well as others who help get books into the hands of readers, such as librarians, educators and booksellers. </div>
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“The Just Us & series is an extension of our storytelling and community building,” says Wade Hudson, CEO of Just Us Books. “These conversations help us connect, learn more about each other and the important work we’re all doing. We leave each conversation not only inspired but with a better understanding of how we can support each other. We hope our viewers will too.”<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The weekly series will launch on Just Us Books’ <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCCvfu5j_1FH3FFh7NgvpbfQ&source=gmail&ust=1591018670137000&usg=AFQjCNHil99oU5qEFybfV2aqlJZTpFJ-Eg" href="https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCCvfu5j_1FH3FFh7NgvpbfQ" style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #007c89; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">YouTube page</a>, Tuesday, June 2.</div>
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webmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-86273689294077092982020-05-20T16:02:00.001-04:002020-05-20T16:02:31.549-04:00Remembering Tom Low<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwinQoetoroJbJnchvfk1Owk5ABptxrlI2QXkjCxy6whmNF5gRBp5aq63b-vvCoOe0JLkg8zzmq1J0oAYhFk95tl9w3ORod7lEE2WrGVV-sILw3xQC1F4a08elsAl3mLLBOpMHfOuEn0Q/s1600/Tom+Low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwinQoetoroJbJnchvfk1Owk5ABptxrlI2QXkjCxy6whmNF5gRBp5aq63b-vvCoOe0JLkg8zzmq1J0oAYhFk95tl9w3ORod7lEE2WrGVV-sILw3xQC1F4a08elsAl3mLLBOpMHfOuEn0Q/s320/Tom+Low.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our hearts were saddened to hear of the transition of Tom Low, co-founder of Lee & Low Books.<br />
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We have known Tom since before he and Phillip Lee founded their independent children’s press in 1991. Both Tom and Phil came to visit Just Us Books’ office in East Orange, NJ to share their vision and to get feedback about the industry. Soon after, they hit the ground running, becoming one of the first independent multicultural children’s publishers in the industry.<br />
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Over the years, as our two presses grew, and in many ways helped to shake up the children’s industry, we stayed in contact with each other. We encouraged each other and continued to share information about the industry. At conferences, our two companies were often among a handful whose sole purpose was publishing books that recognized our country’s and our world’s diversity, those who were overlooked and or marginalized. Sometimes, we would chat at each other’s booths when we should have been at our own, conducting business.<br />
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We will always remember Tom’s positive attitude and his unfailing belief that he and Phil could build Lee & Low Books into a publishing giant. Indeed, they did.<br />
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When our anthology <i>We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices</i> launched, Tom sent an email of congratulation and encouraged us to continue our important work. He had retired by then. But he still cared deeply.<br />
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Tom Low was one of the pioneers in the push for diversity, inclusion and equity in children’s book publishing. His legacy will live on as the publishing company that he and Phillip Lee founded, Lee & Low Books, continues to discover new voices, tackle new topics, give opportunities to writers and illustrators, and produce so many wonderful books that all of our young people need.<br />
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We will remember his laugh, his sense of humor, and friendship and his trailblazing work.<br />
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Thank you, Tom! We salute you!<br />
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Wade & Cheryl Hudsonwebmaster_justusbookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08038083878254072184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3210258521552946959.post-39743068698243921672020-04-14T23:22:00.000-04:002020-04-14T08:17:44.224-04:00AFRO-BETS Kids Coloring Page<br />
<b>Meet Langston, Nandi, Tura, Stef, Robo and Glo: </b><b>the AFRO-BETS Kids!</b><br />
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Thank you to illustrator Nancy Devard for creating this fun coloring page taken from the picture book <b><i><a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-1-933491-49-3/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Afro-Bets Kids: I'm Going to Be</span></a></i></b>, written by Wade Hudson.<br />
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Download a PDF you can print <b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14sEvj9lPcGMCMKTjTAWlzId3sp8rqMeA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a></b><br />
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Learn more about the book <a href="https://justusbooks.com/978-1-933491-49-3/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgim3AXA3grOZUnVmfFv8Z-yFp8iv6pDEy7EaGcqVF3Iszbif3sa_xcRW5gzzIjK0hq30vkFZHqzMPy_5x0qlwTrkEH1J23n4-lQLnakQb_PHjkHbJYTxidIcAYZOIaWuf-f_yJ1uwpad8/s1600/Afro+Bets+Kids+Coloring+page.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="394" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgim3AXA3grOZUnVmfFv8Z-yFp8iv6pDEy7EaGcqVF3Iszbif3sa_xcRW5gzzIjK0hq30vkFZHqzMPy_5x0qlwTrkEH1J23n4-lQLnakQb_PHjkHbJYTxidIcAYZOIaWuf-f_yJ1uwpad8/s640/Afro+Bets+Kids+Coloring+page.JPG" width="492" /></a></div>
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