Bringing the Message of One Love to the Most Vulnerable

We all share the same home...We are one people, one love.

                                                                                          John R. Lewis

"Over forty years ago, my father wrote One Love about unity, peace and universal love during a time when there was much trouble in the world.

 Even in a time when we aren’t able to get together, his message remains true today, we can get through this global crisis if we come together through one love and one heart."

                                                                                           Cedella Marley

In the midst of a worldwide pandemic having an anthem that brings us all together is empowering. UNICEF has chosen Bob Marley's "One Love" as the anthem to benefit children, distressed by COVID-19.  When invited by UNICEF to contribute to a philanthropic cause to help the most disadvantaged children, Bob Marley's widow Rita, eldest daughter Cedella, son Stephen and grandson Skip collaborated to reimagine the iconic reggae song that the BBC named the millennium song of the century in 1999. Marley family members lead by Stephen and Skip Marley invited a global chorus to collaborate on the project with voices representing Brazil, New Zealand, India, Mali, Nigeria, Jamaica, Syria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cedella Marley, three-time Grammy award winning singer, and eldest daughter of Rita and Bob Marley, explained that “Daddy would be happy to know his message of unity is being heard. "One Love" was written as a call for global solidarity at a time when the world was very divided, much as it is now.”  She believes,“Only by uniting with one love and one heart can we defeat this virus, protect our children, and make the world a more just and equal place.” The reimagined version with its unifying message debuted on July 18.

As Cedella further explains, “All over the world, children and families are suffering. Whether they are living in refugee camps, slums or favelas, or they lack access to healthcare or school, or are being treated unfairly because of their race, religion, ethnicity or gender, our dream with this song is to reimagine a world where all children are treated equally – just as my father intended.”

Your donation will go towards UNICEF’s emergency efforts to support children and their families with what they need to stay safe, delivering: soap, masks, gloves, hygiene kits, protective equipment, life-saving information and support to healthcare systems. Join UNICEF and the Marley family to help. COVID-19 hits vulnerable children and families hardest. 

With every UNICEF donation, Pandora will match up to $1 million.

Even before UNICEF contacted her, Cedella was introducing children to her father's music with children's book based on her father's songs including One Love, Every Little Thing, and Get Up, Stand Up. Through these various projects, she intends to keep her father's legacy alive. Each book emphasizes the importance of community, and is filled with positive images and visual diversity for young children. Copies can be purchased at neighborhood bookstores, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Support children affected by Covid 19 around the world with donations to UNICEF, and share Bob Marley's message of One Love with your children and community.

Academy Award Winner, Hair Love will become a Series on HBO Max

The short film, Hair Love, the brain child of Matthew Cherry, a former NFL wide receiver turned filmmaker is being picked up by HBO Max. After winning an Academy Award in the best  animated short film category, HBO Max is adapting the film, Hair Love into a 12-episode TV series called Young Love.

The 2020 Academy Award winning filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry is a Chicago native and a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens.

His Hair Love, which centers on a father's effort to do his daughter's textured hair for the first time, resonated with both families and young children.  The story was based on his book by the same name. Cherry stated that he was inspired to create Hair Love to counter stereotypes about Black fathers, and to increase positive images of Black hair.

According to a press release by Warner Media Group, "the all-new animated series Young Love expands on the family introduced in Hair Love—including millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her pet cat Rocky—as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues, and multi-generational dynamics all while striving to make a better life for themselves." Young Love will be a 12-episode 2D animated series available on HBO Max. Hopefully, this new series will follow the premise of Hair Love with its heart felt message, and explore issues relevant to Black families.

Children's Author and Illustrator, Jerry Craft Pens Book of the Year!

Congratulations to New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Jerry Craft who is having a very special year. His book, New Kid, is the winner of the 2020 John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature. This is the first graphic novel in the Newbery's nearly 100 year history to receive the award. He also received the 2020 Coretta Scott King(Author) Book Award. Every year this award recognizes an African-American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

In New Kid, readers meet seventh grader Jordan Banks who loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

New Kid is a timely, insightful novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. Young adults will find this book a great addition to their summer reading list with its message of diversity and change.  New Kid will resonate with many in this season of social and political transformation.

We Celebrate the life of Our Great Statesman John R. Lewis

John R. Lewis
February 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020

While young people take to the streets in protest, one of the iconic leaders of the Civil Rights Movement has passed away. John R. Lewis became an activist for Civil Rights as a young teenager with the same zeal as some of the young people today. He was beaten and clubbed for standing up for his rights but he paved the way for the generations to come.  Young readers can learn more about his life and the Civil Rights Movement in his graphic novel trilogy, March. He has left us his legacy and shared  his wisdom and encouragement in his words and actions. Please be sure to share his wisdom with our children and young people.

"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."
— A tweet from June 2018

"Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
— From his 2017 memoir, "Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America"

"You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant."
— From his 2017 memoir, "Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America"

“My dear friends: Your vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.”
— A 2012 speech in Charlotte, North Carolina

Marvel Announces New Graphic Novel featuring Black Panther's Suri

Young readers will be able to follow the Marvel character, Suri in a series of graphic novels next year when Marvel Entertainment expands its partnership with Scholastic.  Marvel had already begun publishing diverse picture books which included prose title, Shuri: A Black Panther Novel, written by New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone. The graphic novels, however, will be written by another New York Times best-selling author Roseanne A. Brown. Brown’s previous works include the mystical young adult novel A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. The illustrator and story line will be announced at a later date.

The first book to be released as part of the new deal between Marvel and Scholastic will be Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin A. Reynolds and Pablo Leon, in which Morales has to solve the mystery of an apparent kidnapping and its potential connection to a fundraiser Morales himself is running in the wake of a natural disaster. 

Descendants of Frederick Douglas Read Excerpts of His "Fourth of July Speech"

The U.S. celebrates this Independence Day amid nationwide protests and calls for systemic reforms. In this short film, five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans.

On July 4, people gather throughout Massachusetts and other parts of the country to read this famous speech.  Read the whole speech here.