Equal Justice in Needham for Families presents Family Storytime with Breanna J McDaniel, author of Hands Up!, and educator and author Megan Dowd Lambert.

EJNF monthly Family Storytime series are designed for adults and children who wish to learn about race, anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.

This free event will be hosted on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out in an email after you register.

ABOUT BREANNA J MCDANIEL

Breanna J. McDaniel is an author and children’s literature scholar. She holds an MA in children's literature from Simmons College and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Cambridge University, where her research focuses on representations of black children in contemporary picture books. She is originally from Atlanta and currently lives in the United Kingdom.

Miss McDaniel will be reading her book Hands Up! – a triumphant book about a young black girl who lifts her hands up to greet the sun, reaches her hands up for a book on a high shelf, and raises her hands up in praise at church service. Hands Up! celebrates Black joy by reclaiming a charged phrase and showing readers how resistance can be part of their everyday lives.

Equal Justice in Needham for Families believes that, if we are serious about building a community where all children are safe and treated equally, conversations at home about race, diversity, equity, and inclusion need to start early. We acknowledge that children learn and absorb bias in their daily lives. When families and caregivers explicitly teach anti-bias attitudes and model inclusive behaviors, children learn to be empathetic and inclusive. We believe in the power of children’s books to spark amazing and transformative conversations that will help families and caregivers raise children who are able to think critically and compassionately about race and social justice.

For questions regarding accessibility or the event in general, please email us at ejnforfamilies@gmail.com

For more information about Equal Justice in Needham for Families visit: https://equaljusticeneedham.org/ejnforfamilieshome