Coming this Christmas ! Quvenzhané Wallis in Annie Remake

Annie, the comic book character comes alive again in a new remake this Christmas. Little Orphan Annie started out on the pages of the Daily News on August 5, 1924. Now after ninety years, her story is being retold for a new generation on the big screen starring Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie, Jamie Fox as Benjamin Stacks, a billionaire want to be mayor (the new generation Daddy Warbucks)  and Cameron Diaz as Miss Hanigan. Annie appeared just before the depression, a bleak time in American history and captivated the heart of millions with her cheerful optimism. From the trailer this version produced by Jay Z and Will Smith looks like a fun ride. You just know everything is going to work out fine when Annie hits the lights. Right about now I could use an upbeat story and some fantastic music.  But alas, we will have to wait for Christmas Day to get more than a peek.

Lupita Nyong'o' Congratulations!

Thank you, Lupita for being an inspiration for young girls everywhere, and for addressing an issue that just won't go away. Hopefully,  a new generation will be able to celebrate the rainbow colors that we are.

Janelle Monae Aims To Inspire Children on This Sesame Street Episode

Janelle Monae will bring her energetic, quirky style and positive message to Sesame Street during the show's 45th season this September. The young musician has just been selected to Forbes Magazine's "30 under 30" musicians list.  She will perform the show’s empowerment anthem, “The Power of Yet.” 

"I am so excited to be living one of my dreams, to be here on ‘Sesame Street,”’ she explains.  Her message,  “I'm here because I am teaching everybody on Sesame Street the importance and the power of 'yet'. Never, ever, ever give up because there's so much power in 'yet'."

Catch a preview of the episode above.

Nelson Mandela - May Your Legacy Live On

            Nelson Mandela

July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013 

Few things make the life of a parent more rewarding and sweet as successful children. -- 

Letter to Amina Cachalia, written on Robben Island, March 3, 1981

Be Inspired: African American Shadow Puppet Project

Is storytelling a lost art ?  If you ask most young people today to recount a folktale or proverb, they will probably give you a quizzical look. Yet folktales and proverbs have always been important educational tools in African American culture.  Thanks to a minigrant from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, young students in Tennesse are reviving the art of storytelling.  The sixth through eighth graders at The Geeter Middle School in Memphis, Tennesse adapted African and African-American folktales into shadow plays and performed them with puppets and sets they created themselves.  I love the way they are bringing together African American music and  art in the video. I hope their project will inspire teachers, parents and other young people to find stories, and create their own projects.

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation explained why this project received a minigrant from the foundation. "This program wove many strands of culture, history, language and visual arts, culminating in filmed live performances. Sixth- to eighth-graders studied the African storytelling tradition and learned to do a literary analysis of folktales in order to adapt them into plays. Then they made shadow puppets for their characters and produced and performed their plays, first as part of the Black History program and again for the community. A project this multidimensional takes vision on the part of well-organized, knowledgeable and dedicated educators."

For more information on minigrants to public libraries and public schools, visit The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.

Cocoa Kids Read

It's nice to find kid friendly websites for African American like Cocoa Kids Read. According to their description, "Cocoa Kids Read is a fun, free way to read, write and learn more about your African-American heritage. Here, you can find great books to read, learn more about famous (and not-so-famous) African-Americans, submit your poetry and writings to earn points for prizes, and play games!" Also visit their sister website Brown Baby Reads for information on reading with your child and a listing of books for African American children.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham

On Saturday, September 20 at 8/7c the Hallmark Channel will present the premier of The Watsons Go To Birmingham.  The story is taken from the novel, The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis. The film and the book provide an opportunity for families to share and discuss the sixties, a pivotal season in the lives of African Americans. This is the story of a family's journey through the south during a volatile time, and the lessons they learned.

"In the Summer of 1963, Flint, Michigan is home to the Watsons, a close knit family made up of Daniel and Wilona Watson, (Wood Harris and Anika Noni Rose) and their three kids, 15-year-old juvenile delinquent Byron (Harrison Knight), nerdy 11-year-old Kenny (Bryce Clyde Jenkins) and eight-year-old adorable sister Joetta (Skai Jackson). When Byron’s antics go over the top, his parents realize enough is enough and they decide the family needs a dose of Grandma Sands' (LaTanya Richardson Jackson) no nonsense approach in Birmingham, Alabama.

So the Watsons load up their 1948 Plymouth Brown Bomber outfitted with a true tone Ultra-Glide turntable and head South with plenty of comedy en route. When they finally make it to Birmingham, they meet Grandma Sands and her friend, Mr. Robert (David Alan Grier), who show them around town and the Watsons discover that life is very different there than in Flint – and not necessarily for the better. During that historic summer, the Watsons find themselves caught up in something far bigger than Byron’s antics; something that will change their lives and country forever."