Juneteenth, a Celebration for One and All.

    There’s a movement afoot to make Juneteenth, the annual cultural celebration also known in the African American community as Emancipation Day, a national holiday. 

    Currently, the day is an unofficial holiday celebrated in 47 states, and commemorates June 19th, 1865, as the date when the end of slavery reached slaves in the Southwestern States. It is important because while the Constitutional amendment of the Emancipation Proclamation was formalized in 1863, it was not until years later that freedom was extended throughout the country. The Juneteenth celebration which has been honored and upheld in Black communities for more than 150 years, originated in Galveston, Texas, and is the annual nod to celebrations that followed the reading of the proclamation by General Gordon Granger, shown below, according to (www.Juneteenth.com): 

"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."

    Today, Juneteenth is celebrated in all states but three, (the Dakotas and Hawaii) and is hosted in cities across America and beyond. It is universally regarded as a time for reflection and rejoicing. 

    In 2020, legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and now Madame Vice President, Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) to recognize the Juneteenth National Independence Day, as a nationwide day of remembrance. Once ratified, Juneteenth would become the eleventh federal holiday. 

    To introduce young audiences to this important holiday, check out the book and review of the new edition of Juneteenth for Maize, by Floyd Cooper, below. For more information about the holiday and efforts to make it a national holiday, visit www.Juneteenth.com and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation’s website at NationalJuneteenth.com.

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Floyd Cooper: 1956 - 2021

                                                              "Juneteenth for Mazie"

  Written and Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

                Publisher: Capstone Editions                     Published: 2021

         

                ISBN: 978-1-68446-364-0                         Pages: 30         

Mazie is tired of waiting!  She can’t play outside, have a cookie, or stay up late. She just can’t seem to do anything she wants. Instead, the word “no” seems to greet her at most every turn. But even with all of its rules, Dad reminds us, her life does not compare to that of her ancestors, especially her great-great-great-grandpa Mose, who heard “no” even more!

Juneteenth for Mazie is a book about history, freedom, and celebration. From Dad’s retelling of Mose’s struggles as an enslaved African laborer in the cotton fields of the South to the history of those who ran north to freedom following “a bright star,” to recounting her ancestor’s crossing into history on the first Liberation Day, Mazie is taught of the gains made – and those still to be made – by former enslaved Africans in America.  

     Author/illustrator Floyd Cooper commemorates the power of history and remembrance with a personal and resonant tale that beautifully imagines this important inflection point in our nation’s collective cultural history. 

    

    The new board book edition, originally published in 2015, depicts images that evoke the joy and celebratory spirit the Juneteenth holiday honors. Experienced through Cooper’s narrative and signature artistic style, we traverse eras of change, achievement, and remembrance. 

    Readers savor visual vignettes of Black culture’s rich and tumultuous past, as well as the beauty and diversity of the Black community and its resilience over the ages.  The warmth of the culture is brought to life through Cooper's art that captures the faces and feelings of Americans of the African Diaspora in tones of sepia, gold, and mahogany. Visages and vistas create an artistic collage that conjures a cultural pride that can be appreciated by all.  

        Designed as a title to help families introduce the concept and history of the Juneteenth holiday and all that it represents, Juneteeth for Mazie offers readers a gorgeous chance to feel how African American culture celebrates its steady march forward, and to remember.

          

Valerie Williams-Sanchez, Ph.D. ~ 

This book was provided by Capstone Editions for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 review.

Multicultural History is Today. The 8th Annual MCBD is HERE!

A new day in America was ushered in on January 20, 2021, when the 46th U.S. President Joseph R. Biden and our nation's highest elected and first, multicultural woman, Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office. A great day for our country and this dynamic duo for democracy who have said the day marked the realization of many dreams.

 

In this, the eighth annual year of the Multicultural Children's Book Day, our cause and our theme are more relevant than ever. That's because a multicultural child who has grown to adulthood is in our nation's second-highest office! And it's more than just a little fantastic! 

To truly appreciate the importance of this inflection in our collective culture, we must reflect on our past. Two books that can help us do this with those who need it most -- our children -- are mine this year to review: "The Big Day" by Terry Lee Caruthers and "Juneteenth for Maize" by Floyd Cooper. 

These two beautiful children's picture book titles explore the past in ways that make history come alive, offering fresh perspectives and reconstructed imaginings of two very important events in our nation's history.

The first picture book, by Caruthers, imagines the excitement of being the first Black woman to cast her ballot in Knoxville, Tennesse. The second title, Cooper's board book, offers young readers a gorgeous composite of time-traveling vignettes that evoke the pride and preciousness of freedom. 

This entry is just a sneak peek at what is to come. It is a brief introduction that seeks to set the stage for the two articles that will be posted during the month, through Black History Month and asks that you come back to visit the site. So don't be a stranger. Visit the site again and again, and let's keep the Multicultural Children's Book Day and Movement going strong.

Valerie Williams-Sanchez, Ph.D. ~

Books were provided by Star Bright Books and Capstone Editions for Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 Review.

A Sweet Treat for Your Ears.

     Now on Podcast, The Cocoa Kids Collection Books Read Along. Listen to the stories of The Cocoa Kids Collection, the kids book series that puts minority and multiracial kids center stage to tackle big issues with wit, whimsy, and chocolate. These sweet tales, by author Valerie Williams-Sanchez will be music to the ears of kids of all ages! 

We hope you'll ❤️ “🍫+👦🏾👧🏽+📚!”

Family Literacy Self-Publishing to Connect in the Era of COVID-19

Looking for a family project? Now is the time to tell your family story! Try observing and writing a story about your family's fun and funny at-home experiences and interactions. Then, work with your children to self-publish it. 

Researched by V. L. Williams-Sanchez

Self-publishing, defined as when a writer publishes their own work at their own expense (Tiwari, 2017), offers wonderful opportunities for families to take ownership of their literacy and literate lives.

According to a Bowker report, the number of self-published titles increased by 30% from 2016 to 2017. And that number continues to rise with more and more people, from all walks of life, engaging in authorship.

From book reading, to book writing, this windfall of "at-home together time" can offer a chance to propel student literacy learning forward, as well as to recast family interactions into socially constructive and educationally productive daily activity that can be turned into a short-term project while the kids are home.

And social distancing need not be a hurdle. As an example, consider having your kids talk with their family members, including grandparents who might not be living in the same household, to mitigate our senior's social isolation while the kids report on and capture a story or two from their elder's youth. The exercise will offer an opportunity for family connectedness, while maintaining social distancing which is critical at this time.

Have older children write and younger children illustrate these stories to make a wonderful creative family project that once published, will become a family heirloom. And with the growth of self-publishing, as show in the graphic above, your family's novel, picture book, or short story collection will be in good company!

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RESOURCES 

• Self-Publishing in the United States: Print and eBook, Bowker, LLC, 2017.
• Tiwari, N. (2017). Self publishing in the 21st century. PUB 371: The Structure of the Book Publishing Industry in Canada.