Guest post by D. A. Smith

A dear friend recently loaned me the children's picture book "Build a House", by Rhiannon Giddens. I wanted to share it with my two daughters. We sat together, the three of us, in the sun and read this extraordinarily simple but beautiful book.

The moving illustrations, by Monica Mikai, convey the nuanced emotions that the words stoically imply. Its message is full of understanding and dignity - the overarching struggle and triumph of a people, displaced, enslaved, ultimately freed and allowed to establish their own homes is outlined in poetry and song. 

After reading through the book and spending time looking at the illustrations, we watched the accompanying music video. Rhiannon Giddens, joined by Yo-Yo Ma, gives melody to the tale. It’s steady, strong and a little haunting. My children have been singing it ever since we first listened to it and have asked several times to hear it again. 

This morning my older daughter sang “you brought me here to build a house…” and my younger daughter corrected her, saying “It's, ‘you brought me here you build YOUR house…’” to which the elder replied “Oh, that’s right,” and quickly went back to singing. 

Their understanding was clear to me then. Children are thoughtful and often guided by an inner compass that points to justice. They were moved by the story, of course. But it was the music that really settled it into their memories.  They quietly sing to themselves and think about what it all means, as they work on other projects. 

I’ve been humming it, too. The words and melody remind us again and again of Rhiannon Giddens' gentle but powerful telling of a story worth cherishing.

​“Through the rhythm of words, the lyricism of images, and the power of song, Rhiannon Giddens makes storytelling come alive. Build a House is a story to tell and to remember.” - Yo-Yo Ma

​The perfect holiday gift for the children in your life. And the grown-ups, too: Order Build a House
Read our previous post to learn more about Rhiannon Giddens. 

"Judge Jackson a "Harbinger of Hope" - Senator Cory Booker
~ Shelly Michell

Senator Cory Booker praised her “grit and grace” in withstanding the series of attacks from Republicans and spoke emotionally of our history; the Irish immigrants that endured decades of persecution here, the Chinese Americans forced into near slave labor building railroads to connect our country, LGBTQ+ Americans that were rejected and oppressed and died silently with their secrets, the “hidden figure” women who did critical research for our government, yet were never given credit or recognition until portrayed in a Hollywood movie.

He mentioned that throughout our history, America did not love these people, yet they all loved and believed in this country and persevered to make it a better place.

"You are a person that is so much more than your race and gender – you are a Christian, you are a mom, you are an intellect, you love books.  You have earned this spot.  You are worthy.  You are a great American." 

He ended his impassioned speech by saying that Ms. Jackson is “My harbinger of hope that the United States could live up to its promises of freedom and equality and that the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, will be better because of you.” 

All Jokes Aside
~ Kristine Schwartzman
​
When I first heard that President Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, I joked, "Well, at least she won't cry, and tell us how much she likes beer, like Brett Kavanaugh did." I was wrong, at least in part.

After being grilled for several days over supposed "light" sentences for child pornographers, which are, in fact, in the same range as sentences handed down by GOP judicial appointees, defining her views on Critical Race Theory, and fending off Ted Cruz's ridiculous implication that she knows all Black people, especially those he doesn't like, Senator Booker's heartfelt speech of support made her cry. 

She deserved it. She'd taken it all in, handled herself with the utmost aplomb, and shown the world exactly why she is qualified. 

As of this writing, Judge Jackson's confirmation appears likely. If she is confirmed, we will have one of the most qualified judges ever to begin serving on the Supreme Court, white or Black, male or female. 

The question is, why did it take so long?

Guest Post by Kristine Schwartzman

Written after the event by Clarina Nichols in a letter to a friend, those chilling words struck fear into both Nichols' heart and, most terrifyingly in the heart of runaway slave, Caroline hiding with another freedom-seeker in Nichols' Kansas home. 

As they waited in hiding for morning, creeping in slippered feet, whispering and drinking coffee, Nichols hid her own fear in apparent cheerfulness. In her words, she was "really in a tremor of indignation and fear; fear of a prolonged incarceration of the poor victim of oppression and indignation at the government that protected and the manhood that stayed its hand from “breaking the bonds and telling the oppressed go free.”"

At 7:00 in the morning, Nichols got word that the slave hunters rode out of town without their "quarry." When night fell Caroline and her fellow runaway found safe conveyance to Leavenworth for the next leg of their journey north. 

I accidentally came across Clarina Nichols name as I browsed books at PaperBackSwap.com.  The title "Revolutionary Heart: The Life of Clarina Nichols and the Pioneering Crusade for Women's Rights" intrigued me. Clarina Nichols? Who was THAT? 

Written by Diane Eickhoff, the book indeed describes a "revolutionary heart." A woman who was not only a women's rights advocate who worked alongside her more famous counterparts, but also a woman who fell in love with the West, settled in "Bleeding Kansas" and became an integral part of the Underground Railroad. 

Nancy Kendall talks about Kansas in her journal:

"For number of years and in mean time kansas was being settled and it (editor's note: "it" refers to slavery) was a little of a stir to keep it out of Kassas but they S Succeeded in keepping it out and in later years they had quite a work on the Under Ground Rail Road for about two years there*"

Clarina Nichols was instrumental in keeping Kansas a free state. She was a divorced mother, a journalist, lecturer, women's rights activist and Underground Railroad participant.  It's time Clarina Nichols got her due.

* Transcribed with original spelling, wording and punctuation.
​

 “Vaccines have the potential to be the equalizer of health disparities, especially around infectious diseases. I could never sleep at night if I developed anything — if any product of my science came out — and it did not equally benefit the people that look like me. Period.” - Kizzmekia Corbett, Immunologist

Kizzmekia Corbett is an immunologist at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is one of the many scientists who worked in collaboration with biotech firm Moderna to develop a COVID-19 vaccine now used around the world.

Her role in developing a vaccine to fight COVID-19 began in early 2020. But, her current challenge in that fight is nearly as important. As a Black scientist, Corbett understands all too well the vaccine hesitancy of people of color.

Medical research consistently exploited Black communities in particular. You only have to look back as recently as the 1970s, when conducting a long-term study that began in the 1930s, doctors withheld syphilis treatment from hundreds of Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama without their knowledge.

Or, look at the massive amounts of research and curatives that resulted from the cells of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman who died of cancer. Neither she, nor her family, were asked permission for her cells to be used in research or received any type of monetary compensation until recent attempts at reparations came forth.

Kizzmekia Corbett is in a unique position to reach out to communities of color. She knows exactly what’s in the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as the undeniable history of medical research exploitation. She understands. But, as she says in an interview with Nature.com:

“I have studied health disparities since I was in college. I’m a double major in sociology. I understand the intricate interlacing of science and health, particularly for disparities, and particularly for people of color. So it’s near and dear to my heart. It’s actually the reason vaccine development is important to me, and is where I chose to take my viral-immunology career.”

How does Kizzmekia Corbett see her role now?

“My role is to deliver science in a digestible fashion. When I present a bar chart, I say, “This is the axis, and this is what you’re seeing, and this is how it was tested.” So, the goal is that eventually people see enough of this, and we get to a point where we don’t have to do that anymore.” - Kizzmekia Corbett, interview with Nature.com.

The poet who will carry on a tradition and present her new work, "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration tomorrow is already quite accomplished at the age of 22. Jeffrey Brown talked to Amanda Gorman to learn more, as part of the ongoing PBS arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

Watch the interview below or read the transcript at the PBS News Hour website.

Guest Post by Kristine Schwartzman

Moments like these don't often come along. But, the election of Kamala Harris as Vice President is full of historic firsts that will forever change the political landscape in the United States.

Vice President-elect Harris will not only be the first woman to serve in that capacity, but also the first Asian American, and first Black Vice President. The significance of her candidacy and election inspired women and girls across the country.
​
Five-year-old Andrea Richardson-George watched Kamala Harris, wearing a white Suffragist suit, give her victory speech after the election. According to her mother, Ashley Richardson-George, Andrea ran into her bedroom and came back wearing a white dress and sweater. "So, for her," Ms. Richardson-George said, "she was like, 'I can be president.' So to see that glimmer in her eyes as a parent, it really is powerful to me as her mom." Source: AP News, "Kamala Harris win inspires women and girls nationwide"

It's not just younger women who are inspired. Women of every age, many of whom waited a long time for this moment are moved by Harris's historic win.
​
“I never imagined as a child growing up in the ‘50s, that I would see a woman of color as a vice presidential nominee,” 75-year-old New Yorker Judith Komaki explains. “To actually see Kamala, a woman and a person of color, ascend to this position—it opens up a dream that I had never anticipated or aspired to. It just makes my heart sing.” Source: Time Magazine, "The Historic Barriers Kamala Harris Overcame to Become the First Female, First Black and First Asian American Vice-President Elect"