I look at my children with hope and a desire for them to be the ones who speak up for injustices, one another and most of all, for love. This is a fight against white fragility, the hate you give, and more. This offers resources for hope.
In their formative years, I wonder if I am doing enough? I want more than anything for peace to cover the lands and opportunity to knock on every door. I want my family to be a part of the solution, not the problem.
In taking these steps with my family, I found that we were able to come up with some proactive ways to help our community. We also had some hard conversations about the unintentional ways we may be hurting others. We were able to make an action plan that included volunteering, donating and educating ourselves and our children.
Reading has always been a great way for us to broach any topic.
I have found that poetry can sometimes light the shadows along the path in ways that books cannot. Some inspiring poets are Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou and Ntozake Shange.
My children love poems! I had my daughter help with this one and I found that working together on this brought up some interesting conversations.
A Prayer for My City by Jenny And Amelia
A prayer for my city for everyone to see.
Through broken traumas, clear eyes and a desire to be free.
For those who wish to do harm and for those who wish to do good. And, for all caught in the category of being misunderstood.
Guide them now and protect them too because in the end, it’s just me and you.
May God protect and guide us now. When pain, sadness and walls exist, please pull them down so we can all see what we missed.
Can we love each other every day? Can we help each other to understand? All this wasn’t what God planned.
“Love thy neighbor” is what we were taught. Please go do that in every way so that we don’t repeat later what we learned today.
Be kind. Be respectful and helpful too. That’s what Jesus taught us to do. That’s where to start for our children inherit this world and brokenness as well. They can only go off of what we tell.
The day in May when we heard ,as one, that our call to rise up had just begun.
Go forth in extravagant love and remember our children are next in line, so heal the hurts, learn the lessons and respect the time.”
I also asked for recommendations about books for all ages. Here are the recommendations:
Books for Children
- Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and her family’s fight for desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
- Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins and Anne Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
- A is for Activist – written and illustrated by Innosanto Nagara
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The Other Side – written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E. B. Lewis
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Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena
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The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates
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A Book about Racism by Jelani Memory
Teen book recommendations:
- The Hate You Give – by Angie Thomas
- Dear Martin – by Nic Stone
- Monster – by Walter Dean Myers
- Logan’s Book Series – by Mildred Taylor
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Adult book recommendations on white fragility and antiracism:
- How to Be An Antiracist – by Ibram Kendi
- Native Son – by Richard White
- The Fire Next Time – by James Baldwin
- Between the World & Me – by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Will this solve all the problems? No, but it is a good start. Want to support local black business owners? – Here’s a comprehensive list!
