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 was introduced to boxing by 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…
Today is International Jazz Day! To celebrate, please welcome my guest author today, Matthew Gollub, with his list of jazz books for kids. We are giving away a signed copy of The Jazz Fly (hardcover book with CD and free download). Please fill out Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter. Matthew Gollub is the award-winning author…
Charlayne Hunter-Gault was one of two black students to attend the University of Georgia fifty years ago. She recalls, “We were greeted by a screaming, howling mob of students, and I think some provocateurs…And as we walked under the arch, the students were yelling and screaming all kinds of epithets, and telling us to go…
I brought my daughters and one of their friends to see an art exhibit about Harlem. We were fortunate to get a private tour by Vera Ingrid Grant, Director of the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art at the Hutchins Center in Harvard Square, on her show, HARLEM: Found Ways, a…
I received so many great picture book suggestions for my first list, 10 Great Picture Books to Learn About Africa, that I had to include them on a new list. So here it is. Part Two: 10 More Great Picture Books To Learn About Africa. This new list highlights seemingly ordinary people who find ways to…
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Carole Boston Weatherford in Roxbury, Massachusetts last year. I was struck by her quiet elegance and dignity. Her books reflect that too. Carole Boston Weatherford is on the left. Ekua Holmes is on the right. I didn’t realize how many #BlackHistoryMonth stories would have remained largely untold if…