Viola Desmond went to the movie theatre in 1946 where there were different sections for white people and black. Since she couldn’t see from the balcony, the area that the theatre designated for black people, she instead sat on the floor in the white section. She was hauled away from the movie theatre, jailed and fined. Ultimately, she was charged with tax evasion since the difference between a white person’s ticket and a black person’s ticket was one cent.
She fought the charge in court, but the court never overturned the conviction.
Listen to the first single from Esperanza Spalding’s upcoming album
Spalding’s new single featuring Algebra Blessett is pretty catchy and beautiful, but what really got us in this video was the intro; do school kids these days get enough African history? We imagine it’s better now that Black History Month is observed every February, but we can’t recall learning anything about African princes and democracy back in elementary school. (Though, to be fair, we also didn’t get much world history until high school — elementary school history is a lot of Samuel de Champlain ’round these parts).
We’d like to know if any Bunch families have special Black History Month traditions, or if you plan to set aside some time to talk to your kids about important figures in the quest for Civil Rights. Read more...
Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too
One of the best family adventures we ever had was a trip to Brazil in the summer of 2001. We hung out with relatives of my sister-in-law in Rio, explored some of the hill towns around the city, and enjoyed days filled with amazing sights, sounds and glorious food. A side trip up to the capital of Bahia, Salvador, was like experiencing a little bit of Africa, South American style. One evening there, our whole family joined an impromptu street parade, banging percussion instruments and samba dancing up a cobblestoned colonial road with a growing crowd of people of all ages. It was unbelievable, and we could’ve danced along all night, if not for a tank full of government troops rolling through to break things up (the police were on strike, and the government was suspicious of any unsupervised group activity). Needless to say, it was an experience. Read more...
A couple weeks ago, we found some great movies to watch during Black History Month. To find what books we should read with our kids to teach them about Black History, we turned to Another Story Bookshop in the Roncesvalles Village neighbourhood in Toronto. Another Story specializes in books about social justice, equity, and diversity, with lots of alternative kids books so we knew they’d find us some good stuff.
A Show Way is a quilt with secret meanings, and the image works as both history and haunting metaphor in this exquisite picture book. Based on Woodson’s own history, the unforgettable story tells of African American women across generations, from slavery and the civil rights movement to the present.
Sometimes it’s really, really tough to be a mom. Like if you’re bi-polar, break your son’s X-box, tweet your suicidal thoughts and you’re Sinead O’Connor. Via The Hipster Mom.
