By Kumari Ghafoor-Davis, MSW

     Hello, Moms of Black Boys United beauties! Happy April! Spring is finally here.

     Our Education and Engagement Committee has been working towards keeping moms engaged through our monthly Facebook live readings and our MOBB United Book Club posts:

• January’s live reading was with Derrick Barnes and his illustrated book, Crown, about the feeling a young boy gets from his trip to the barbershop for a fresh haircut.
• February’s live reading was with Javaka Steptoe and his book, Radiant Child, a beautifully illustrated story on the life of young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat (additional info).
• March’s live reading was with Dr. Irene Okoronkwo-Obika and her book, Chisom the Champ Meets the World, which teaches children that self love is key to overcoming bullies and interpersonal obstacles.
•  On April 22 at 7 p.m., we'll host our next Facebook live reading with Corey Richardson and his ebook, We Used to Have Money, Now We Have You: A Dad’s Bedtime Story. This story from a dad’s perspective uses wit and pragmatism to remind children that a parent’s love is infinite, but patience and finances are not.

     MOBB United Book Club’s latest selection, Between The World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, has generated great discussions over the past few months (January 6, January 15, January 23, March 5). The Book Club’s posts sparked conversations around how our boys’ black bodies are viewed through the lenses of others; how race is the child of racism and not the father; and how being “White” is a made-up social construct. We hope that you will stay tuned for our next book, which we will announce soon. Please feel free to comment on the posts from this fascinating book described as a “letter from a father to his son”. You can search for posts using the hashtag, #mobbunitedbookclub.

     MOBB United also has partnered with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) to offer workshops, conferences, and/or forums with lawmakers, parents, and their children in cities across the country. Retired and active duty Black law enforcement officers will talk with participants about how we can work together to keep our communities safe and how law enforcement can become more involved in keeping our children alive in their jurisdictions. They have connections to police chiefs and those in command all over the country, so please join us in this fight to keep our sons safe. We are really excited to get these workshops scheduled between April and June of this year and we need your help to get these informative interactive forums scheduled.

     Looking for a great way to reward your son for a fantastic school year? Give him the gift of inspiration by sending him to the “From the Fire” Leadership Academy. If you are interested in hosting a forum or workshop in your city, please connect with me at [email protected] .

     Have an awesome month!

*The aforementioned book club posts were shared originally in the Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. private Facebook group, and Education and Engagement Committee Lead Kumari Ghafoor-Davis gave us permission to share them.
If you are a mom of a Black son and member of that group, you can read and/or respond in the comments by clicking the links.