We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525580425 ISBN 13: 9780525580423

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2018

Synopsis

Fifty of the foremost diverse children's authors and illustrators--including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander--share answers to the question, "In this divisive world, what shall we tell our children?" in this beautiful, full-color keepsake collection, published in partnership with Just Us Books.

What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.

Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation's youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow.
 
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018!
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018!

About this title

About the Author:

Wade Hudson is president and CEO of Just Us Books, an independent publisher of books for children and young adults. For his work, Wade has received a New Jersey Stephen Crane Literary Award; the Ida B. Wells Institutional Leadership Award, presented by the Center for Black Literature; and the Madame C. J. Walker Legacy Award, given by the Zora Neale Hurston--Richard Wright Foundation. He has also been inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. Discover more about Wade online at wadehudson-authorpublisher.com.

Cheryl Willis Hudson is an author, editor, and cofounder and editorial director of Just Us Books, an independent company that focuses on Black-interest books for children and young adults. Cheryl has written over two dozen books for young children, is a member of the children's book committee of PEN America, and has served as a diversity consultant to a number of educational publishers. Learn more about Cheryl at her website cherylwhudson.weebly.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

This book was inspired by our great-niece Jordyn. After the 2016 presidential election, she was distraught upon hearing who had won. She had heard the cruel and hateful words that had been spewed at women, those with disabilities, people of different faiths, and people of color. She had heard the talk aimed at “taking our country back.” Though she was only seven, some of that language of hate stayed with her. When she found out who the new president would be, she was frightened and confused, worried that the world as she knew it was in imminent danger.
We were so troubled. We knew there were thousands—no, millions—of young people like Jordyn, and perhaps, like you, too, who were fearful about the future. What could we tell you? we wondered. What words of comfort could we offer? How could we reach out to you the way others had reached out to us when we were your age and faced difficult challenges that seemed too big for us to handle?
So the idea for this treasury was born. Yes, we are living in challenging times, but we created this book so you will know that you are part of a community that loves you and can give you tools to help navigate the present and the future.
We grew up in the segregated South, when life for us was much different than it is today. Racial discrimination, prejudice, and hatred against African Americans were pervasive. We were prohibited from attending school with White children, so we went to all-Black schools. We couldn’t go to the public library that Whites used. We were forced to sit in a “special section” in movie theaters. We couldn’t even try on clothes or shoes from the stores downtown. Our parents had to purchase them, bring them home, and then see if they were a good fit. If they weren’t, the items couldn’t be returned. If there was no fountain designated “Colored” or “Negro” in the store, we had to wait until we got home to get a drink of water, or find another establishment that had a fountain for “us.” Our parents were not allowed to vote.
This segregated but unequal system we were forced to endure was extremely trying and often frightening. Yet, in our all-Black communities, we were embraced by accepting arms, motivated by encouraging words, and sheltered by watchful eyes that probed for signs of lurking dangers seeking to engulf us. We were loved! We knew it! We could feel it!
Today’s challenges are different from those of the 1950s and 1960s. But we have valuable advice to share with you, nuggets of sustenance for you just as there were for us when we were your age. We invited children’s book creators with diverse voices to share their perspectives, words and images of encouragement, and hope and love for you. These talented and thoughtful authors and illustrators have already been creating wonderful books with you in mind.
Within this collection, there’s a letter from a parent to her children on kindness; there’s advice on how to become confident and mindful; there are words of wisdom about finding and keeping friends; there are reminders of how to use the Golden Rule, how to cope with bullying, and how to face internal uncertainty; and there’s an essay on how young people can change the world.
Challenges, some seemingly daunting, will come and go. There will be dark days, and days with bright, warm sunshine. There will be periods of hope, and periods of despair. But when the dark days come, you must remember how the sun shone brightly on your face. When despair looms, you must grasp on to hope and lift it high for all to see. That way, you can face the challenges, no matter what they are, with the determination and confidence necessary not only to endure, but to grow in spite of them.
This book is for you! To inspire you, motivate you, offer you love and hope, and encourage you to help make a difference.

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0525580425
• ISBN 13: 9780525580423
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96
• Editor: Hudson Wade, Hudson Cheryl Willis