MY MOTHER'S VALUES...
My mother taught me to be polite but never meek,
To listen before I speak.
She taught me to dress to express,
To say I don’t know if I can't guess.
She taught me to always do my best.
If I fail, I should think of what's next,
Ask questions, read texts. I learned to make time for the people I love
And take time to myself to stay involved;
To love the skin I'm in;
To know the difference between a mistake and a sin;
To shower,(every day!)
To hold onto my power, (no matter what people say!)

1. This is Opal Lee, the force behind the movement to make #Juneteenth a national holiday. Also known as Freedom Day, it is the day that commemorates when slavery officially ended in the USA. At 93, Mrs. Lee keeps banging the drum for the recognition of this day. 2. Public holidays indicate the moments in history that are important to a nation and the values they hold dear. Recognizing #Juneteenth nationally would be one more way to acknowledge the intrinsic value of Black people and their history to the wealth and prosperity of the USA.

This is 5-year-old me. I reflected on this little girl's feelings and fantasies when I decided to write my children's book, #Sulwe. With this book, I wanted to hold up a mirror for her. Here's why: As a little girl reading, I had all of these windows into the lives of people who looked nothing like me, chances to look into their worlds, but I didn't have any mirrors.

Coming to think of it, the Tethered (#UsMovie) and the White Walkers (#GameOfThrones) have quite a bit in common:
1. They come in silence but not in peace
2. They won't stop until they kill errrrrrrrrybody
3. They wear block colors 4. They have a signature weapon