Juneteenth gets its name from the combination of June and Nineteenth and is celebrated annually on June 19. It’s also called Emancipation Day and Freedom Day. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, announcing enslaved people “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free,” but the proclamation didn’t immediately apply in certain areas, including secessionist…
Category: African American Children’s Books
Meet Asian Pacific American Hero I. M. Pei
There is such a refined elegance to I. M. Pei that is only matched by his warm personality. It’s a combination that allowed him to move in the upper echelons of society in any country. In a way, he reminds me of my own father. Both immigrated from China in pursuit of their education. Though…
Sports Books for Kids: Volleyball!
My kids were introduced to volleyball in San Antonio, Texas when we went to visit a close friend of my husband’s from their college golf days. He also has three children, and his oldest had started playing volleyball in first grade. She patiently taught my two daughters how to bump and set the ball in…
Enslaved Poet: Phillis Wheatley
The three women of the Boston Women’s Memorial are Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, and Lucy Stone. I posted on Lucy Stone here. Today I wanted to learn more about Phillis Wheatley. Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American woman to publish a book of poetry. Educated by the people who enslaved her, Phillis mastered Greek and…
My Son Boxing: Then and Now & Boxing Picture Books
My son was introduced to boxing with my trainer Marc Gargaro when he was eight-years-old. Now he’s fourteen-years-old. Back then, I would take whatever kid had a free week during the summer and bring him or her to my morning boxing training session. My son was too young to object and he liked hand-to-hand combat…