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This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Central MN Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and funds from Voices Black Resource Group at Capital One Café, African American Employee Resource Group at CentraCare, Higher Works Collaborative with The Bush Foundation, Apiary Coworking, and BrandingUp International. |
Authors, Book Descriptions, LINKS
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Bee Love (Can Be Hard) by Alan Page and Kamie Page
Otis wasn’t scared of many things, but at the top of his list? Bees. When Grandpa was younger, he was afraid of bees too. That is, until he learned about them. “Bees are amazing insects,” Grandpa tells Otis. “They’re pollinating powerhouses!” To help Otis overcome his fear, Grandpa takes him to a bee farm, where he learns that while “bee love” can be hard, it is also important. Lovely pastoral paintings are the backdrop to this gently told, delightful relatable story. |
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Ghana: A Place I Call Home by Monica Habia
Through the power of storytelling, Samuel and his grandpa experience the essence of Sankofa. Sankofa means “go back and fetch it.” It also means “we must return to the source.” In Ghana: A Place I Call Home, Samuel embarks on a journey of self-discovery. His grandpa teaches him about his home, Ghana, and shares key lessons about history and culture. Written by Monica Habia, award-winning author and proud Ghanaian. Ghana: A Place I Call Home is the inspiring story of a young boy embracing his cultural history, heritage, and roots. Ghana A Place I Call Home, is a children's book intended for ages 4 to 8. The book explores identity, heritage and culture especially for African-American children. The non-fiction book is based on my experience from taking African American on a trip to Ghana. |
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Slavery's Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State by Dr. Christopher P. Lehman
Christopher P. Lehman's book Slavery's Reach is about how slaveholders and their enslaved people contributed to Minnesota's development as a territory and a state. |
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Cameron Goes to School by Sheletta Brundidge
Cameron will soon be starting kindergarten and her whole family is nervous. How will they manage without her when she goes off to school? This sweet and funny story starring a young African-American girl with autism will help all kids-and their families-face the great big wonderful change that is school. |
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Sandaka’s Seed by Elijah Kondeh
Sandaka is a young boy, born and raised in Bumbumkoro village, located in West Africa, Sierra Leone. Sandaka was left with words of inspiration by his late father, of which he kept in his heart. He goes through a difficult time where he becomes frustrated. But with the wisdom left by his late father, he’s able to accomplish his task and becomes a prosperous farmer. Purchase Books:
Order the book on Amazon (and consider using Amazon Smile and select herARTS in Action) |
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A Glimpse At Being Broken: Part One by Vincent Reed
This book is a raw, true and painful reflection of my childhood in the foster care system. My mother lost me twice to the system and would go on to give me up a third time. I grew up and aged out as a ward of the State of Minnesota. Throughout my life I have been hiding my history from friends and family. It has never been a part that I wanted to share publicly until recently. I never had the support until now that it required to share my story. I was in eleven different homes in ten years while in the system. Some of those homes good but the ones that were bad really out weighed the good ones. For the few fond memories I have as a child, there are twenty more bad ones. I suffer now from PTSD from my childhood and with the help of therapy and a strong woman by my side, I can share this now. I am not mad about my past and how I was treated, rather I am thankful to be here today. My life could have taken such a different direction and I think of the good and bad places I could have ended up in. My history and childhood is a big part of who I am today. I am writing this book now with reflections of what I have learned and been through in life. This book is the first part of my life, with the second part coming hopefully before the holidays. I hope you read this book and it brings to light the reality that so many foster kids face after aging out. For me when I aged out there was nothing. My life has always been difficult but I hope by releasing this it becomes just another weight lifted off my chest. Purchase Books:
Order the book on Amazon (and consider using Amazon Smile and select herARTS in Action) |
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Justice Makes A Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire by Dr. Artika Tyner
“Words are powerful,” Grandma told Justice. “They can be used in powerful ways to do good or to do harm. That’s why it’s important to always be careful with your words.” Justice has grown up witnessing the many ways her grandma serves the community. She wants to make a difference in the world, too, but how? Isn’t she too young? Through conversations with her grandma and their shared love of books, Justice learns about important women and men throughout history who changed the world: Ella Baker, Shirley Chisholm, Charles Hamilton Houston, Dr. Wangari Maathai, Paul Robeson, and Ida B. Wells. Justice learns how each leader was a champion for advancing justice and improving the world, and she dreams of becoming a change maker, too—“Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire,” a superhero with a law degree and an afro! Written by Dr. Artika Tyner and Jacklyn Milton, passionate educators and community advocates, Justice Makes a Difference is the inspiring story of one little girl’s realization that her name is her destiny. |
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Amina of Zaria: The Warrior Queen by Dara Beevas
When Amina was a little girl, she didn't dream of being queen—she dreamed of being a fierce warrior. The only problem was that everyone overlooked her. Despite the doubt of the people around her, she mastered every weapon in the armory, like bows and arrows, spears, and swords. Her skills on the battlefield made her native Zaria prosperous, and in the mid-sixteenth century, she became a queen. Through Amina's retelling of her life, Amina of Zaria: The Warrior Queen inspires li'l queens everywhere, especially Black and Brown girls, to believe that when they fight for what they believe in, they can uplift a nation. Purchase Books:
Order the book on Amazon (and consider using Amazon Smile and select herARTS in Action) |
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Bridge Across Atlantic by IBé
Spoken word poetry scribed on paper. These are stories with root in Africa, and fruits in America. |
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Ayeeyo's Golden Rule by Mariam Mohamed
Nine years old Yasmeen Mohamed is both terrified and excited to go to school for the first time in her life. Almost instantly, her eagerness and excitement quickly turn into fear and sadness when her classmates don’t accept her or her Somali culture or her language barrier. Nothing prepared Yasmeen for the amount of bullying her classmates showed her. She just doesn’t understand how kids could be so cruel to her.Will she fight back or choose to ignore all the hate? Read to find out how Yasmeen overcomes her troubles with the help of her Ayeeyo. |
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Black Boy, Black Boy by Crown Shepherd
Black Boy, Black Boy, what do you see? I see a bright future ahead of me! A melodic mantra with a powerful message: Black boys can be a doctor, a judge, the president . . . anything they want to be! Each page depicts a boy looking into the future, seeing his grown-up self, and admiring the greatness reflected back at him. This book is created to teach Black boys there are no barriers--if you can dream it, you can be it! This book is for Black boys so they see themselves as the heroes of the story. This book is for Black boys so the repetitive patterns help them learn to read. This book is for Black boys so it will become a subconscious mantra-the things you say to kids become what they think. And Black boys can be anything! |
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Beautiful Scars by Dr. Lynn Davis
Though faced with many challenges in her childhood and youth, Nylah was determined to make the best of her life in every way possible. But she met and fell in love with a colleague and friend who was very mean-spirited and wild. Nothing had prepared her for the intensity of sorrow she felt. It was only with the intervention of God's love that she began to record her life story trying to capture the paradox of love and grief. These were scars. But what can she make of them? As Nylah exposes her deepest feelings and fears and the truth about her life and shattering disappointments, she appreciates the Scars as beauty within that ultimately bloomed into profound wisdom and love. Beautiful Scars is an homage to the woman she has become instead of the woman society has made her be. It will touch any reader who has felt powerless in familial love. |
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