In celebration of Black History Month, we’ll be highlighting a diverse range of books, all written by Black American authors, all of which celebrate and prioritize Black Joy. We’ll be featuring a title every day through the month of February.
Kleaver Cruz, creator of the Black Joy project, says that “Black joy is resistance. Amplifying Black joy is not about dismissing or creating an ‘alternative’ Black narrative that ignores the realities of our collective pain; rather, it is about holding the pain and injustices we experience as Black folks around the world in tension with the joy we experience in pain’s midst. It’s about using that joy as an entry into understanding the oppressive forces we navigate through as a means to imagine and create a world free of them.”
Today’s work is Cozbi A. Cabrera’s Me and Mama, a beautiful picture book about a mother and daughter and their rainy day spent together. A little girl wakes up to a cozy warm breakfast, gets dressed, jumps in puddles and walks the dog – ordinary things- but special because she does them with her mama. With lovely lyrical language and original acrylic illustrations, this book is like a warm cup of tea (or milk!) shared with someone you love. Take some time to check out the sweet end pages, too!
Stay tuned for a new book tomorrow!
