Nick News is back with a special hour-long presentation–Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special, premiering TONIGHT, June 29, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT). Hosted by global superstar Alicia Keys, the program will feature the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement answering children's questions, offer tools for families to have constructive conversations about race and inclusivity, and highlight [...]
In today's Thoughtful Thursday we focus on two young African American poets: Angelo Geter (left photo) and Joshua Bennett (right photo). Angelo Geter is a poet and performance artist also known as "EyeAmBic." A National Poetry Slam champion, Geter is releasing his debut poetry collection in late 2020. He is the Poet Laureate of Rock Hill, SC, and an Academy [...]
Did you celebrate Juneteenth with your family this year? My father's family is from Texas, so I grew up hearing about Juneteenth celebrations from Texas relatives, but my family didn't celebrate it in NYC. Fast forward to yesterday–Juneteenth celebrations were everywhere! Some companies gave their employees the day off, social media exploded with Juneteenth graphics, memes and hashtags, and [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday presents the poem "What Shall I Tell My Children Who are Black (Reflections of an African American Mother)" by artist, poet, author, and educator Margaret Burroughs (1915-2010). It was written in 1968, but could well have been written this week. In it Burroughs addresses the issue of how to raise black boys up to be confident [...]
Are you old enough to remember the 1960's rallying cry of "Black is Beautiful"? A recent conversation with a young Black mom lets me know it is time to bring it back. This mom is looking for uplifting reading material for her 8 year old daughter, whose class has been discussing George Floyd's death and how poorly Black Americans [...]
Have you or your children been getting a lot of requests from your white friends for resources about Black history and the struggle for racial justice these days? It is exhausting, trying to deal with your own and your family's reactions to everything going on AND having your well meaning but less [...]
Whenever some racially based fresh hell befalls a Black person we at GCP, along with so many others, are compelled to cry out. Sometimes we write about how to talk to our children about the latest horror, trying to walk that fine line between telling them the way of the world to help build their armor and scaring them [...]
Memorial Day is a few days away. While we are usually celebrating it as summer's official start, this year it makes much more sense to think about what the holiday is really about: honoring those who have died during war while serving the U.S. Honoring our war heroes. These days our war heroes have expanded beyond members of the [...]
Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms, Grandmothers, Aunties, Godmothers and Bonus Moms from GCP!!! Hope your Mother's Day is filled with people you love, things you love to do, and gratitude from the children and others that you love to do things for. To honor you all, we offer two poems, both by the beloved Maya Angelou (1928-2014). [...]
There are glimmers of encouraging COVID-19 news these days: mortality rates falling, hospital admissions going down and releases going up, a drug showing promise at combatting the virus. In this spirit, today's Thoughtful Thursday offers poems of encouragement and hope. First, a favorite from Lucille Clifton (1936-2010), "Blessing the Boats", which holds the promise of a better day. "Instructions [...]