“The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.” – Marian Wright Edelman Marian Wright Edelman is a civil and children’s rights activist. She helped establish the Head Start program, has been a fierce advocate for children and families of color, and founded the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973 as an initiative to ensure that every child has what they need to thrive. The Children’s Defense Fund is also home to the CDF Freedom Schools program which provides children with culturally relevant teaching, empowering books, and enriching learn ..read more

What a difference a year can make. Last November around this time, my daughter turned two years old. Like most of us now, I was deep on the search to find the perfect gifts to celebrate her birthday and third Christmas. I was trying to find intentional gifts for her. Things that were made for playing and learning. Toys that had meaning. She’d been starting to sing her ABC’s so I knew flash cards would be on the list, but once I started really looking, I was disappointed in what I found. That’s when the first inklings of the ABC Affirmations began. A whole year later and that little idea has gr ..read more

Photo Credit: Bee R. | @beingbeeroyster When I created the ABC Affirmations flash cards, my intention was simple. My daughter had just turned two years old and was beginning to sing her ABCs and show interest in books. Like most of us, I searched for flash cards. Something empowering, something she could see herself within. But when I looked for alphabet flash cards, finding images of Black children, let alone Black girls, was HARD. And so, the ABC Affirmations were born. That was my intention. But like any creative will tell you, once you make something and release it to the world, it no long ..read more