Emma Jackson Ford

   Yinka Oladeji is 30-something, Oxford-educated, and up for a promotion at her impressive bank job.   She has a supportive network of friends and family who love her dearly, but her personal and professional success doesn’t stop her many "aunties" from constantly asking w... Read more

    Richard Brown is a Portland community activist and photographer who has spent decades working to bridge the divide between police and the Black community.  This Is Not for You: An Activist's Journey of Resistance and Resilience traces how and why Brown became an engaged... Read more

      In the Authors Note,  Watson and Hannah-Jones state their intention to “show that Black Americans have their own proud origin story, one that does not begin in slavery, in struggle, and in strife but that bridges the gap between Africa and the United States of America... Read more

As summer draws to an end, students of all ages are preparing to return to school.  And, who better to help them but librarians?  So we've invited two of our favorite Library Ladies to share their reading recommendations. Carla Davis, Youth Librarian at the Midland Regional... Read more

When Nala Robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night for her cousin-sister-friend Imani's birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with Tye Brown, the MC. He's perfect, except . . . Tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for... Read more

Author Charlotte Sherman writes, "I love being brown and wanted to write a poem to highlight the splendor of this underestimated color for young boys and girls, so they too will love the skin they are in. When I first heard a beautiful, radiant, brown-skinned child say, “I’... Read more

We reprise Emma Jackson Ford’s May, 2018 interview with poet Kwame Alexander and his musical accompanist, guitarist Randy Preston.  The interview focusses on Rebound, the follow-up to his Newbery medal-winning middle-grade novel, The Crossover. Alexander is a poet, educato... Read more