![]() This project stirred something in me as well, leading me to pen pieces that I hadn’t envisioned before. Take for instance, my wife, who beautifully crafted a poem for the first time. Our contributors answered the call with such enthusiasm, some of them even found themselves spurred to explore new avenues of expression. The response was not just affirming, but profoundly moving. We asked, “What can you create that truly speaks to this moment?” Rather than asking for leftover pieces of art or writings that have been put aside, we reached out to contributors with a heartfelt request for their most precious, innovative thoughts. And thus, our New Brownies’ Book was born.ĬP: What truly warms my heart about this project, and I believe sets it apart, is our commitment to the power of original creativity. The stars seemed to align even more as it happened to be the 100th year anniversary of the original Brownies’ Book. Recognizing their needs and wanting them to know they are deeply loved, we realized this was the perfect opportunity. It was not only a period of introspection for us but also a time to think about the experiences of Black children in particular. Sharing these findings with Charly early in our relationship, we both agreed that we needed to do something with this. Despite juggling monumental tasks such as organizing the Pan-African Congress, writing numerous books, and editing The Crisis magazine, Du Bois still made time to create this literary gift for children. Reading Du Bois’s personal letters from 1920 of him pleading with authors to contribute their “best work” to the children’s periodical was deeply moving. It was in the midst of this research that I stumbled upon The Brownies’ Book. Du Bois with Jose Itzigsohn, I was immersed in Du Bois’s voluminous archives. And with our wealth of connections to extraordinary writers and artists, we knew we were uniquely positioned to make it happen. We realized that it was time to breathe life back into this work by reviving the original Brownies Book. We had touched on it a few times before, but on that day, the concept ignited something within us. ![]() Du Bois and his revolutionary work, “The Brownies’ Book”. One day, we found ourselves passionately discussing the legacy of W.E.B. As the new couple talked about the artists and writers they most admired, they soon discovered that they both wanted to revive and expand upon the Brownies’ Book legacy and showcase new art and writing for children from today’s brilliant Black creators.Ĭharly Palmer: You know, the genesis of this book is a product of the ordinary magic of our daily conversations. Brown and award-winning artist and children’s book creator Charly Palmer were just beginning a new relationship together. Nearly 100 years later, author, educator, and Du Bois scholar Karida L. In his role as editor-in-chief, Du Bois reached out to the era’s most celebrated Black creatives-writers, artists, poets, songwriters-and asked them to contribute their “best work” to The Brownies’ Book “so that Black children will know that they are thought about and LOVED.” Among its contributors was Langston Hughes, whose first published poems appeared in The Brownies’ Book.įast forward. Calling it The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun, it was the first magazine aimed specifically at Black young people. Du Bois and managing editor, Jessie Redmon Fauset, started a magazine for children. In 1920, as Black art and writing flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, scholar, author, and activist W.
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