By Mary Ashley Canevaro
UAB News
Each year in February, the United States honors Black History Month to celebrate the achievements of Black/African American individuals, recognizing the central role of the Black/African American community in America’s history and highlighting the importance of racial justice, diversity and inclusion, and equity.
“One of the principles of Black History Month is that it is a key part of America’s identity,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., FACS, dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine. “One of our struggles in this country is painting America as monochromatic or monolithic; that’s not who we were at our best, and it’s clearly not who we’re going to be in our future. Black History Month is a uniquely different time of reflection because of how African Americans got here. That struggle has continually defined our story and identity, and is a part of who we are as we move forward.”
Susan Faust February 24, 2021Updated: February 26, 2021, 8:48 am
The Black Lives Matter movement is generating serious and hopefully sustained conversation about systemic racism and being non-white in America.
Some new kids’ books are keeping pace. They consider “The Talk” between Black parent and child, as well as interracial dialogue. And with special urgency, they also offer “you are valued” recognition for a rainbow of kids, in years past mostly unrecognized and unrepresented.
‘The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person’
Written by Frederick Joseph
“The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person,” by Frederick Joseph. Photo: Candlewick
Bristling with righteous indignation but tempered by enduring hope is “The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person.” Its aim is twofold: one, to help white people recognize, and then neutralize, the many obstacles impeding Black freedom, and two, “to provide affirmations for people of color
For the year, bookstore sales were down 28%, thanks to COVID-19. In other news, books by minister Ravi Zacharias are removed from print because of a scandal, and an influential literary theorist born in Newport News has died.
âA treasure-trove of factsâ: Omar, the Bees and Me by Helen Mortimer. Illustration: Katie Cottle
âA treasure-trove of factsâ: Omar, the Bees and Me by Helen Mortimer. Illustration: Katie Cottle
From bonding over bees and a deft exploration of race to a lipstick-loving toddler, the latest illustrated stories are a joy
Tue 9 Feb 2021 04.00 EST
The acclaimed childrenâs author Tom Percival grew up in a caravan in Shropshire with no electricity or heating. Drinking water came from a spring in the garden and on cold mornings, he says, ice sparkled on the bedposts. While his latest book,
The Invisible (Simon & Schuster), isnât a memoir, his own experiences of being poor are clearly etched throughout this tale about a child whose parents canât pay the bills â from the beautifully observed frost patterns on the opening pages to the way the pictures glow when the family are together.