Queer icons Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, Billie Holiday, and Audre Lorde are among the Black lives celebrated in this rhyming book from the publisher of A is for Activist and Antiracist Baby. Only Johnson’s queer identity is noted, however.
The book opens with a call for readers to turn away from their screens and turn off the news; the implication is not to be overwhelmed by headlines about all of the negative things happening in our world. “A change is gonna come,” it assures them, quoting singer Sam Cooke. It then offers a quote from each historical figure with a little information about them, reminding us, too, that they each lived “a little Black life” themselves before becoming a changemaker. Those mentioned include (in addition to the above) Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Frederick Douglass, Maya Angelou, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Wilma Rudolph, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
I particularly love that although the book may inspire children to become changemakers, it also reminds them, “But don’t forget the greatest life you can lead belongs to you,” adding, “And know this, child: you matter here, and most of all . . . to me.” Even if one doesn’t change the world, it implies, there is value in simply living a Black life.
The books is available as a board book or regular hardcover. As with A is for Activist and Antiracist Baby, some of the vocabulary seems advanced for the target age range (“volition”; “incandescent”), especially the board book readers. The opening call to turn off the news also seems misplaced for that age—but as with the other books, part of the message seems aimed at grown-ups, and that’s not a bad thing.
A great addition to bookshelves on Black lives, queer lives, and social justice.
