Thirteen- year old Jessica, avid collector of black female dolls, received a big surprise from her father.  He gave Jessica her first male doll Buckwheat.  Jessica negative response led her father to teach her a brief history lesson about picanniny.     

      “Jessica, let me give you a little history lesson.”  Her father expounded as if he was a history professor.  “There was once a television show called Our Gang originated by Hal Roach, which was also known as Little Rascals.  It ran...

Continue reading ...

The idioms stereotype and picaninny are lost in translation.   People hear, see and feel these words yet ignore that these expressions are exploited in every form and fashion today. 

Buckwheat’s Journey… is a young adult fiction, with a light-hearted yet evocative perspective of stereotype/picaninny that addresses social skills, self-esteem, and bullying and conflict resolution.  Set in Chicago, Buckwheat re- enters the 21^st century as a doll and clashes with black classy female dolls beca...

Continue reading ...

Today, I participated in the College Board conference Dream Deferred: The Future of African American Education.
This was a powerful, awesome, and unbelievable conference.  Educators, students and others discussed, brainstormed, engaged, networked, and collaborated.  The highlight was Robert Townsend. Educators and students viewed his new film The Hive about a young man pulled from his father's gang and forced into a reform school .  Afterwards, we engaged in profound and enlightening discussio...
Continue reading ...