A Poet and a Secretary
THE book I just devoured in celebration of Obama’s elevation to the Presidency of the United States is for children.
And it’s not one of the several handy bios of him for young readers.
It’s a picture book of poems in several voices, by his poet, Elizabeth Alexander, of Yale, and her equally distinguished colleague, Marilyn Nelson, a much-honored creator of children’s literature.
http://www.wordsongpoetry.com or
http://www.wordsongpoetry.com/another_starred_review_for_mis.html
Elizabeth Alexander’s presence on the platform at this historic event shouts out that this president lauds the arts & art creators.
Already sensing that, Quincy Jones asks for support to imbed the arts in the White House with a Cabinet level secretary post. See
http://www.petitionsonline.com/esnyc/petition.html
and reach it by typing in US Secretary of Arts
Meanwhile, Poet Elizabeth Alexander will receive a wider audience because of her Jan. 20th role on the world stage.
I want you to know she is already beloved by librarians, teachers, students & many others for MISS CRANDALL’s SCHOOL for YOUNG LADIES & LITTLE MISSES of COLOR.
This book, with illustrations by Floyd Cooper (winner of three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards) is an unforgettable visit to the true story of a Quaker woman’s dedication to her black students in New England in the 1830s.
Her determination to stand tall against local terrorists affiliated with churches, the town council & local business community makes me, “ache with caring,” to borrow a phrase of Mem Fox, about seeing this history presented to a wider audience.
If you are more interested in the present day than in history, notes in the book mention more recent updates, including how the 1984 dedication of the Prudence Crandall Museum, was also marked in an undistinguished way by the Connecticut KKK.
Enjoy. Weep. Share. Rejoice in the presidency of Barack Obama.
(And a palette of color to Janeen Mason
