“Got Voice! Got Power!” I still remember hearing these words at a community event. The words filled the air with renewed hope and served as a stirring call to action. These words were personal to me. This was an invitation to use my voice to impact social change.

Since I was a little girl, I was playfully teased for talking so much. Many stated that I was born talking. I was naturally very inquisitive and curious. My aunt called me “fish lips” like my goldfish because my mouth was always moving. My favorite sentences started with why and how. I would ask my mother a multitude of questions each day. She tried to implement a daily limit but my mind was full of so many questions that I could not resist sharing. I would put her under a rapid interrogation with questions like: Why is there homelessness? How can we address income equality? Why is there pollution? How can we advance environmental justice?

My mother would encourage me to study the issues that I was passionate about. She would help me to dive deeper by exploring our family’s cherished encyclopedia set or visiting the library to research the issues. Through this experience, she provided me with a solid foundation to think critically and take strategic action for social change. I also was introduced to heroes and sheroes that inspired me to develop my leadership skills and make an impact in my community. I learned about leaders like: Ida B. Wells who decided to write for justice, Paul Robeson who sang for justice in more than twenty different languages, Shirley Chisholm who made history as the first woman to run for President on a major party ticket in 1972, and Dr. Wangari Maathai who planted seeds of justice by planting trees in her home country, Kenya. My life changed when I read about a legendary lawyer and law professor, Charles Hamilton Houston. He took a courageous stand for justice and laid the groundwork to end racial segregation through the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education. He inspired me to pursue a career in law and become a civil rights attorney.

As an attorney, I noticed that many of my clients faced a common challenge. They learned how to read while in prison. I began conducting research and soon discovered reading failure is a predictor of future incarceration. This is unacceptable but somehow we created a RULE OF 4: One in four American children are not reading at grade level by 4th grade. If you are not reading at grade level by 4th grade, you are four times more likely to dropout of school. And here is the connection, you are also three and a half times more likely to be arrested during your lifetime. This is an opportunity for change where we can create new pipelines for the future and work to end mass incarceration.

I decided to take action by focusing on promoting literacy and diversity in books. I chose this two-prong approach since 1) it is important to build a culture of reading where our youth discover joy in reading and 2) children are more likely to read books where they see characters that look like them.

I founded a nonprofit literacy organization, Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute. I also attended training at the Highlights Foundation and with the support of my mentor, Jan Fields, became a children’s book author. I wrote over 30 books that support youth leadership development and promote civic engagement. History has shown us that young people have served at the forefront of leading change from the Freedom Riders of the past who challenged segregation on buses to the Dream Defenders of the present who are promoting civic engagement.  My books serve as a tool for inspiring and engaging the next generation of leaders. Each book serves as a roadmap for leading social change:

Justice Makes a Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire: reminds youth that you are never too young to make a difference in the world.

Joey and Grandpa Johnson’s Day in Rondo: explores how the power of entrepreneurship can inspire change in a community.

Stand up and Be Counted: emphasizes the importance of the U.S. Census through a community working together to improve schools and create more access to healthcare.

Kwame Votes: demonstrates how civic engagement fosters strong, vibrant communities.

My future projects will focus on training our youth to not only read but also write for justice. I am inspired by the African proverb: “Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” I serve as a lioness for justice and freedom. I look forward to inspiring our youth to join me in this quest.