How African American storytelling impacts our modern children
When we first started this class, I was drawn to the tale “the flying man”. I thought it was an interesting title to a tale. Only to realize that this tale explained a sad reality. This tale exemplifies the problems that African American people have with trusting the police. This has been going on for decades. The police are supposed to be the people we all feel are here to protect and serve but African American people have never felt that way so we run. Most races aren’t known for running away from the police but African American people are. Why would the people who are supposed to protect and serve us make us feel like we need to run? The answer stems from the police not actually helping black people but instead locking them up and keeping them from having less rights as a citizen as years before.
Since the tale “the flying man” peaked my interest so much, I further divided my research regarding African American literature and police brutality. I feel like this was very important regarding children and knowing the danger that some children may face. I will then further talk about other websites that I have found to research more about african american literature that impact children.
A source that I want to cite regarding this topic is the innocence project which discusses how more than half of inmates released from jail for being wrongfully convicted are minorities.The Innocence Project is a non-profit organization committed to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and advocating for criminal justice reform. It was founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. The organization works to prevent and correct wrongful convictions by using DNA evidence to prove innocence, conducting investigations, and providing legal representation to those who have been wrongly convicted. The Innocence Project also seeks to address and raise awareness about systemic issues in the criminal justice system, such as eyewitness misidentification, faulty forensic science, and misconduct by law enforcement and prosecution. Their work has resulted in numerous successful exonerations, providing justice to those who have suffered the devastating consequences of wrongful conviction.
This is something that is vital to discuss with our future generation of kids to understand why and how systematic racism exists. This is especially important for black kids to be aware of the obstacles that they deal with and know to cooperate with police because it could forever change their lives.
Other websites that I have found regarding african american literature:
African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) – http://www.aalbc.com: AALBC is one of the largest and most comprehensive online resources dedicated to African American literature. It features book reviews, author profiles, interviews, articles, and a wide range of literary resources.
Project MUSE – muse.jhu.edu: Project MUSE is a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content. It offers scholarly articles, book chapters, and reviews on various subjects, including African American literature. You can narrow down your search by selecting African American Studies as the discipline.
The Poetry Foundation – http://www.poetryfoundation.org: The Poetry Foundation is a great resource for poetry enthusiasts. It also has an extensive collection of poems by African American poets. You can browse their website and find specific poems, biographies, and critical essays.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture – nmaahc.si.edu: The National Museum of African American History & Culture is an excellent source for historical and cultural information related to African American literature. Their website provides resources, exhibitions, and virtual tours of exhibits relevant to the subject.
The Brown Bookshelf (https://thebrownbookshelf.com/): This website promotes and highlights books written by African American authors and illustrators for children and young adults.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day (https://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/): This website features diverse children’s books, including African American literature, and provides resources for parents, teachers, and librarians.
Foster Kid Blog 