Pakistan (“Land of the Pure”) is a South Asian country bordered by India, Afghanistan, Iran and China. It is unique among Muslim countries in that it is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam. A movement for independence … Read More
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2023! Named after the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library, the Pura Belpré Award was established in 1996. It recognizes #ownvoices writers and illustrators whose work best portrays the Latinx culture in an outstanding work … Read More
UPDATED MAY 2023! 19th of June is Juneteenth! Also known as Juneteenth Freedom Day, it commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the Confederate South. On June 19th … Read More
Earlier this week the 2016 Américas Award winning Children’s Books were announced: Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope-Pérez, along with two Honourable Mentions and other Commended Titles. The Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult literature recognizes … Read More
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Observed since 1990, it celebrates the rich culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. In this list, I have focused on Asian and Asian … Read More
“Jazz is a response to oppression that is not bullets and blood. Jazz is the expression of harmony … and at the same time of hope and freedom.” Herbie Hancock Today is International Jazz Day! Designated in 2011 … Read More
South African at heart, I can’t possibly let Black History Month end without mentioning these two extraordinary men! United in the spririt of Ubuntu, Tata Madiba – as Nelson Mandela is affectionately known in South Africa – and … Read More
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, between 1918 and 1930. It was considered to be a rebirth of African American arts. Poets, musicians, actors, artists, and intellectuals brought … Read More