Today, I'm thinking about Karmelo Anthony and why we do not have the luxury of only publishing #blackboyjoy and #blackgirlmagic in the kidlit space. As much as I would like to center on joyful expression and humor, we cannot forget our past, in the same way that others can #neverforget . I do write about the funny whimsical moments of childhood.
However, there is a time for laughing, and there is a time for weeping even if it makes others uncomfortable.
Banned books won't erase stories that should be told… And, they must be TOLD to receptive ears because these stories shape how we got here. The stories of the past shape our present and our future. These stories have a way of sounding the alarm in times of need if we are willing to learn.
History does, and will, repeat on cycles because people forget--even their own family members, their ancestors. If a written record does not exist, forgetting comes sooner.
I tell my students that's why writing remains important.
Videos have their place, but writing carries catharsis. Putting words on the page is freeing. Some think words should be chained when people cannot be, but censorship can not outrun reality--it only fractures it.
However, there is a time for laughing, and there is a time for weeping even if it makes others uncomfortable.
Banned books won't erase stories that should be told… And, they must be TOLD to receptive ears because these stories shape how we got here. The stories of the past shape our present and our future. These stories have a way of sounding the alarm in times of need if we are willing to learn.
History does, and will, repeat on cycles because people forget--even their own family members, their ancestors. If a written record does not exist, forgetting comes sooner.
I tell my students that's why writing remains important.
Videos have their place, but writing carries catharsis. Putting words on the page is freeing. Some think words should be chained when people cannot be, but censorship can not outrun reality--it only fractures it.
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