I suppose the video is what came out after I noodled on this thoughtfully about this in the last few days. I started at: FOR THE LOVE, BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY! DONT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE USED AS A WEDGE! SPEAK UP AND FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!
I'm going to repost the history videos I made a couple years ago for as many days in May as I can. Hopefully the can be starting points for all of us!
#aanhpi #aapiheritagemonth #aapi
This has been on my mind ever since @carolinepritchardwrites and I were banned from our school visit in San Ramon because they said our presentation about THE DAY THE BOOKS DISAPPEARED, a picture book about book banning, was not age appropriate for second graders.
There are so many more ways to dive into each one of these things. The bottom line is ALL OF THIS harms kids. We protect kids by teaching them the tools to navigate the world, not keep them from it. Kids need to read books about themselves and people totally different than them. We all do.
Call your reps. Please share widely!
Please see and share the @bookriot article for more details. It's linked below and in our bios.
/the-day-the-books-disappeared-school-visit-cancelation/
Students of Country Club Elementary, we hope you know that your community is better because you are in it. We see you. We celebrate you.
A system of fear can only be fought by an even stronger ecosystem of courage, and we’ve witnessed the ripples created by remarkable acts of bravery across the country on behalf of students and learning. We can all choose to be part of an ecosystem of courage. Together we can fight for our freedom to read.
With love,
Joanna and Caroline
Bite-sized Asian American history 11/25.
Remember these are BITE-SIZED. It's impossible to fit every detail into a sped up 1-minute video, but hopefully these are starting points that inspire you to go and learn more of this history that we were never taught in schools. The more I learn, the more I see how connected we all are. I'm loving the discussion in the comments of my other history videos; if you have something more to add, please share! Just know I will block anyone who is hateful and out of pocket.
All videos are saved in my highlights and will also be available on my website on the Educator Resources page for WE WHO PRODUCE PEARLS: AN ANTHEM FOR ASIAN AMERICA, illustrated by t@alonglastname . Follow my newsletter for the access code. This poetic anthem is a reminder of our power and history and connection and includes a backmatter with guiding questions and many more points of history to learn!
You can get the book at your local indie or bookshop.org
#aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aanhpiheritagemonth
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of participating in the annual Taiwanese American Cultural Festival. Thinking about the intentionality it takes to stay connected to culture and people when so far in distance and time from ancestral homeland and grateful for the people who make it possible.
Just look at this amazing group of Taiwanese American authors!
Bite-sized Asian American history 10/25.
Remember these are BITE-SIZED! It's impossible to fit every detail into a sped up 1-minute video, but hopefully these are starting points that inspire you to go and learn more of this history that we were never taught in schools. The more I learn, the more I see how connected we all are. If you have something more to add, please share! Just know I will block anyone who is hateful and out of pocket.
All videos are saved in my highlights and will also be available on my website on the Educator Resources page for WE WHO PRODUCE PEARLS: AN ANTHEM FOR ASIAN AMERICA, illustrated by t@alonglastname . Follow my newsletter for the access code. This poetic anthem is a reminder of our power and history and connection and includes a backmatter with guiding questions and many more points of history to learn!
You can get the book at your local indie or bookshop.org
#aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aanhpiheritagemonth picturebook
California AABB! Join in our statewide week of postcard parties to fight HR 7661, the nationwide book banning bill. Bring friends, bring a few stamps to share, bring snacks, grab some markers or stickers for decorating and come ready to fight for our freedom to read and create in good company! Or, just bring yourself and that's enough!
Check for an event near you. Don't see one? It's not too late to plan one - don't worry about falling in this week. The important thing is that we meet in community where we can and we contact our reps.
See you soon!
This conversation with @supriya.kelkar and @randyribay was so full of wisdom and history and inspiration. Please excuse Joanna as she was en route to the airport and had some snags when she got there!
A few highlights:
• The history and impact of colonization across Asia and decolonizing our minds and communities now
• Colorism and desire for proximity to whiteness in some Asian circles
• Giving our parents grace and still recognizing that tools for survival lead to erasure today
Book recommendations:
📚And Yet You Shine: The Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and Resistance by @supriya.kelkar
📚Everything We Never Had by @randyribay
📚 Love, Hate, and Other Filters by @sam_aye_ahm
📚Made in Asian America: A History for Young People by @csoontornvat and @prof_erikalee
📚 We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America by @joannahowrites illustrated by @alonglastname
📚That Which Feeds Us by @kealakendall
📚 My Heart of Rice by @lookingforashley_
Our next live is Tuesday, May 19 at 9:00 am PST/ 12:00 pm EST with @adibkhorram and @run.write.nerd !
#asianamerican
I can't stop thinking about this wisdom shared by @teabuoy during our IG Live earlier this week.
You can check out the whole conversation with Thi and @nqarooni@sam_aye_ahm on my feed. The full IG Lives from our No Shoes in the House: Solidarity at Home and Beyond series are save in a highlight on my page. We've already learned so much from each of our discussions and hope you'll join us on this journey!
Our next Live is today at 9:15 am PST/12:15 pm PST with @randyribay and @supriya.kelkar !
#AsianAmerican
Bite-sized Asian American history 9/25.
Remember these are BITE-SIZED. It's impossible to fit every detail into a sped up 1-minute video, but hopefully these are starting points that inspire you to go and learn more of this history that we were never taught in schools. The more I learn, the more I see how connected we all are. I'm loving the discussion in the comments of my other history videos; if you have something more to add, please share! Just know I will block anyone who is hateful and out of pocket.
All videos are saved in my highlights and will also be available on my website on the Educator Resources page for WE WHO PRODUCE PEARLS: AN ANTHEM FOR ASIAN AMERICA, illustrated by @alonglastname . Follow my newsletter for the access code. This poetic anthem is a reminder of our power and history and connection and includes a backmatter with guiding questions and many more points of history to learn!
You can get the book at your local indie or bookshop.org
#aapiheritagemonth #aapi #aanhpiheritagemonth #picturebook
Like many of you, I have been closely following the conversation in kidlit this week. I was hesitant to share my own thoughts, as many have already articulated ideas that mirror my own. But, upon further reflection, I also thought it important to share my perspective, particularly as one of the first signatories on the letter to the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council. And yes, I read the whole book.
Above all else, my concern and priority is the art and ecosystem, the community and craft of children's books. This is a space and an art I love deeply. Here are just a few excerpts from my newsletter, where I process my thoughts more fully.
If you aren't on my mailing list, you can signup at the link in my bio and I will send you the newsletter too.
#childrensliterature
These conversations are giving us life. Don't miss this discussion with brilliant insights from @teabuoy and @nqarooni !
Highlights include:
• The intentionality of showing up in the full complexities of our identities as a step toward solidarity
• Education within our own communities (and families) as a necessary part of building solidarity
• The progression from self-knowledge to self-love to solidarity
Book Recommendations:
📚 THE BEST WE COULD DO by @teabuoy
📚 NOURISHING CAREGIVER COLLABORATIONS: Elevating Home Experiences and Classroom Practices for Collective Care by @nqarooni
📚DIRTY KITCHEN by @jilldamatac
Our next live is this Thursday at 9:15 am PST/ 12 pm EST with @randyribay and @supriya.kelkar !
#asianamerican #aanhpi #asianamericanactors
