January 24, 2025 • 30 mins
Join us for a preview of the 33rd Annual African American Children’s Book Fair, happening Saturday, February 1st, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. I speak with visionary founder Vanesse Lloyd Sgambati and some of the remarkable featured authors and illustrators reshaping children’s literature.
✨ Bea Jackson shares her inspiring journey as a writer and illustrator, with highlights from her heartwarming book Lily's Dream: A Fairy Friendship. Follow her: Website | Instagram: @beajacksonillustration.
✨ Kwame Mbalia, author of the Tristan Strong series and owner of Disney imprint Freedom Fire, talks about his latest works, including Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek and Captain America: Brave New World: A Hero Looks Like You. Follow him: Website | Twitter: @KSekouM.
✨ Sean Qualls, the renowned illustrator of Please Baby Please and The Idea in You (with Questlove), delves into his creative process. Follow him: Website | Instagram: @seanqualls.
✨ Carole Boston Weatherford, the legendary “Dean of Black Children’s Books,” shares insights into her prolific career, including the award-winning Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. Follow her: Website | Instagram: @caroleweatherford.
📚 Learn more about the African American Children's Book Fair and its mission to inspire young readers: African American Children's Book Project Plus,
I chat with Grace Sica, Executive Director of Operation Warm, about their incredible work providing brand-new coats and shoes to under-resourced children and teens. Grace shares how families in poverty spend over 80% of their income on essentials like food and housing, leaving little room for clothing, and explains how you can help through their impactful partnership with Subaru. 💻 Learn more about Operation Warm and their mission: Operation Warm Website
🌟 Subaru partnership info: Subaru Helps
This episode celebrates Black excellence in literature and the power of giving back—don’t miss it! 🎙️
✨ Bea Jackson shares her inspiring journey as a writer and illustrator, with highlights from her heartwarming book Lily's Dream: A Fairy Friendship. Follow her: Website | Instagram: @beajacksonillustration.
✨ Kwame Mbalia, author of the Tristan Strong series and owner of Disney imprint Freedom Fire, talks about his latest works, including Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek and Captain America: Brave New World: A Hero Looks Like You. Follow him: Website | Twitter: @KSekouM.
✨ Sean Qualls, the renowned illustrator of Please Baby Please and The Idea in You (with Questlove), delves into his creative process. Follow him: Website | Instagram: @seanqualls.
✨ Carole Boston Weatherford, the legendary “Dean of Black Children’s Books,” shares insights into her prolific career, including the award-winning Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. Follow her: Website | Instagram: @caroleweatherford.
📚 Learn more about the African American Children's Book Fair and its mission to inspire young readers: African American Children's Book Project Plus,
I chat with Grace Sica, Executive Director of Operation Warm, about their incredible work providing brand-new coats and shoes to under-resourced children and teens. Grace shares how families in poverty spend over 80% of their income on essentials like food and housing, leaving little room for clothing, and explains how you can help through their impactful partnership with Subaru. 💻 Learn more about Operation Warm and their mission: Operation Warm Website
🌟 Subaru partnership info: Subaru Helps
This episode celebrates Black excellence in literature and the power of giving back—don’t miss it! 🎙️
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to Insight, a show about empowering our community.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrell, and I am so delighted to
introduce this segment because we're going to be talking about
one of my absolutely favorite I say this a lot,
but this truly is one of my favorite events of
the year, and that is the twenty twenty five African
American Children's Book Fair, and its founder and Queen of
(00:22):
African American Children's Books is Vaness Lloyd's Gumbadi who created
this amazing event. Vaness tell us about the African American
Children's Book Fair.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It is the thirty third I was ten when I started.
You know, pretty soon I'm going to have to figure
out a way how to fudge that I'm an old
person still doing something that.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
You're still looking good girl.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Hey, you know, the real good thing about it is
if you do something that you're passionate about. But it
is one of the oldest and largest single day event
for diverse children's books in the country, and it is
a global event because we get people who come from
all over the United States. Last year, I had someone
who came from Ghana to attend the book Fair that
(01:06):
I met in Europe. But it is a free event
and it's one to four pm, and we have the
most amazing lineup of authors and illustrators who one thing
is really good about this event is that they're accessible.
They're there to speak to you, to enlighten you, to
empower you. And of course we have that wonderful bookstore
(01:27):
and the legendary literary Row. We've got the Educator's book Giveaway.
Wonderful sponsors like Wells Fargo will all be there in attendance.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And that is happening on what date and where.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Saturday, February the first, from one to four pm. And
don't forget Pico. They've got all these debut books, books
that just came out in January, and they're going to
be giving them away to educators.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Well, we have some of the superstar I feel like
this is like an amazing superstar lineup of some of
the best children and a young adult book authors. And
we're talking about just in general. The quality of these
authors and illustrators is unbelievable. Newberry Award winners, Caldecott Award winners,
Coretta Scott King Award winners. They are really incredible and
(02:14):
we're going to be speaking to them today. B Jackson
is the New York Times best selling illustrator. Quame Imbalia
is one of those rare individuals who has his own imprint,
Freedom Fire, and we're going to talk about his book.
Sean Qualls had a wonderful book that he worked together
with Spike Lee and his wife. Carol Boston Weatherford, the
(02:35):
Dean of Black Children's Books, and she has created one
of my absolute favorite books of all time, Crowning Glory,
a celebration of black hair. So let's talk to all
of these amazing people. Carol Boston weather Or, you are
a true icon when it comes to children's literature, and
I wonder if you can tell us a little bit
about your origin story. How did you come to write
(02:57):
children's books.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I started writing books when I was a relatively new mother.
I've been in the industry. Now this is my thirtieth year.
I've got more than eighty books, and now I am
a grandmother. So you know, my career is really I
wist say it's kind of come full circle because I
started out writing board books, and when I had grandchildren,
(03:20):
I started writing board books again. But I'm best known
for my biographies. And my nonfiction and the book that
I'm showcasing at the African American Children's Book Fair is
Crowning Glory, a celebration of black hair, and it kind
of encompasses my own experience as a daughter, as a mother,
(03:42):
and as a grandmother dealing with black hair in the
home and at beauty shops. I'm really excited about coming
to Philly and sharing that book.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
That's fantastic. I know that I wish I had a
book like that when I was growing up, because I
think that now we have so many wonderful books that
were the black experience, and for children to be able
to see themselves in their books in these books is
absolutely priceless, and that is what your books do so beautifully.
Let's turn to b. Jackson. You're a New York Times
(04:14):
bestselling illustrator, and I wonder if you can tell us
about what you're planning to highlight at the African American
Children's Book Fair.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Ah.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
Yes, I'd be happy to I will be highlighting my book,
Louie Stream, which is my first author illustrated story. I've
been in the business of illustrating children's boosts for over
twenty years. I've worked with a lot of authors both
local and around the world, and I finally got an
opportunity to tell my own story. But I wanted to
(04:43):
share a story that's about magic and fantasy so that
young black kids can see themselves in more magical settings,
which is something that I liked growing up. I would
love to see characters that look like me in the
form of mermaids and fairies and just like find that
magic and wonder on our side, on our side of things.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
So I have not had the pleasure of seeing it,
but I'm already picturing the beautiful colors that must go
into creating fairies, right, fairies and their gorgeous wings.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Ah.
Speaker 6 (05:15):
Yes, of course.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
I actually took a lot of inspiration from different butterflies
that exists in the world. I want to just tell
a story that we're different cultures that are represented the
butterflies that the fairies take after they represent the different
wings of butterflies from those cultures. So you have monarch butterflies,
you have the blue butterflies. And it was really a
(05:40):
show of my love of nature and flowers and gardening
and how you have butterfly communities that are that are being.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
Lost to the world.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
So it's also a book about inspiring kids to get
more associated with nature, to connect with to connect with
nature so that they could help these communities thrive in
their own way as well. So that's a huge inspiration
for me.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yes, yes, it sounds amazing. Kwame and Balia husband, father, writer,
a New York Times bestselling author, publisher, and former pharmaceutical metrologist. Wow,
it sounds like you did a major pivot from a
metrologist to an author. How did you do that?
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Pivot is such an interesting word. I wouldn't say pivot.
I would say that I've always written, you know, despite
how you may see me in public or you know
how I may post willy nilly online on social media.
I was incredibly shy as a kid, and so writing
was how I really processed emotions and communicated feelings. And
(06:43):
so I've always been a writer. I just didn't know
that I could make a career out of it until
I got some very important encouragement in a push to
try and make a go of it. I thought I
would always just write for myself. And I tell young
people all the time, you can be an author and
(07:04):
a writer, even if you know you have one reader
that reader being yourself, and it's just that important to
make sure that your very first reader, who is yourself,
loves the stuff that you are writing. And so I've
always been a writer. I was just very fortunate that
Disney wrote a check that allowed me to reluctantly say
(07:27):
goodbye to pharmaceutical metrology, wistfully gazing at it as it
disappeared into the distance. That allowed me to become a
full time writer.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Well, you are engaged in this book in partnership with
Nicholas Smith illustrator exploring the world of Marvel Studios Captain
America Brave New World, which I'm so excited about because
I'm a huge fan of Sam Wilson, the new Captain America.
He is a black Captain America and so exciting to
see superheroes reflected to reflect our world as well. I
(08:00):
wonder if you can tell us a little more about
that that's coming up, because it's got to be tied
in with the upcoming movie that's about to premiere.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
It is it's tied to a Brave New World, and
I think Nicholas and I, who both have you know,
young children, young Black children. Something that was very important
to us is that we can get very lost in
the idea of big heroic actions like you know, saving
the world and rescuing people from you know, a falling
(08:31):
building or stopping a speeding train, and then we forget
about the small, quiet heroic actions that people do on
a daily basis. And we really wanted to highlight that
in this book that anyone, at any point in time
can do something heroic, and that there is no set, uniform,
stature or build that you know would prevent you from
(08:53):
becoming a hero. All you have to do is choose
to do it and set your mind to it.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Sean Claulls, You've had the opportunity to illustrate many books,
and particularly you've had a really cool partnership with some
very well known people. In fact, I actually interviewed Spike
Lee and his wife for the book that you collaborated with.
Tell us a little bit about your collaboration with some
amazing individuals like Spike Lee and others Questlove for instance,
(09:23):
tell Us more so.
Speaker 6 (09:25):
Yeah, most recent collaborations with Questlove on a book called
The Idea in You. But my very first collaboration with
someone well known was with Tony Morrison. I mean, I
love all the collaborations I've done, including the one I
did with Carol Tony Morrison, was really special for me
(09:46):
because she's just such an icon of Black literature and
literature in general. It's just such an honor to bring
her words and images to life and the illustrations that
I did for the book Little Cloud and Lady Wind.
And then I moved on to do a book called
Giant Steps with Spike Lee and his wife Tanya Lewis Lee,
(10:09):
which is all about various people throughout history, including Barack
Obama and Basquiat, Jesse Owens, who have made an impact
on the world, and also sort of telling the story
in such a way that hopefully children and their families
(10:30):
can relate to and letting them know that it's possible
to also follow their dreams and take giant steps and
make an impact on the world. And then most recently
it just came out in September, I collaborated with Questlove,
who's also from Philly. The book, The Idea in You
is really about it's a permission slip really for children
(10:52):
to really allow themselves to dream, to have ideas, to
spend time on their own cultivating their ideas and relate
to revel in their imagination and creativity.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
I imagine that must have been a fascinating project. Questlove,
I think is one of the most brilliant people I
have ever experienced. My mind goes places that I can't
even begin to describe, so that must have been quite
the experience. I want to talk to Carol Boston Weatherford
because right here, as I'm speaking to all of you,
(11:31):
we have different generations of authors and illustrators in this space.
We talk about black children's literature and young adult books,
but these are really great books, period. But I would
like to talk to you, Carol about the evolution that
you've seen over the years. When I was coming up,
and I'm a lot older than I look, so I
(11:53):
can tell you that when I was growing up, there
were no books of people that looked anything like me.
And if there was a book, it would be something
that was so offensive that I wouldn't even want to
bring it up, right. So I wonder if you can reflect,
you know, as someone who has been in this business
for a while, about the evolution that you've seen for
(12:14):
black children's literature and young adult literature.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
I'm glad you brought that up because I'm closer to
your generation, Lorraine, than the other panelists today, the other authors.
When I was growing up, I was pretty much deprived
of African American children's literature because little existed, little was
being published. I was exposed to poetry of Langston Hughes,
(12:39):
but that wasn't necessarily poetry that he wrote for, you know,
for children. And then when I became a mother, I
noticed in the that was in the early in the
mid eighties. I noticed that the in late eighties, I
noticed that there were more diverse books for my children
than there had been for me, and I kind of
wrote in on that wave as an a new author.
(13:01):
Now there are many, many voices, many children's African American
and BIPOC children's book authors and illustrators, and I'm really
happy to see that my granddaughter has more access to
diverse books than than her mother had and certainly than
(13:22):
I had. So I'm hoping that the trend will continue
and that families and community organizations will recognize the importance
of having books black books in the home and in
community settings, churches, barbershops, beauty shops, so that children can
have access to the books. And of course they're you know,
(13:44):
of course public library is just a treasure, but we
can't allow the fact that the books may not be
in classrooms, and all of our books may not be
in classrooms. You know, we may be in one classroom
not in another. But we need to make sure that
we have these books in the home. And that's where
events like the thirty third African American Children's Book Fair
(14:07):
come into play. It's very important and you'll see families
buying books and really refuting the myth, the lie that
black people don't read. We do read, and we share
books in our home. We share books with our children.
We model reading for our children, and we want to
create a language rich environment for our children by sharing
(14:29):
books with them in the home.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah, I'd like to speak to each of you and
how you relate to your own experience with literature that
reflects our heritage and our experiences. B I don't know
if I'm stereotyping you, but I think you might be
the youngest one there. But I could be wrong, but
let's speakin with you. You know, Carol talked about and certainly
(14:53):
I have about growing up not having those books available.
What about you, what was it like for you?
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Well, I would say for experience, it would be in
relation to black hair. I grew up having to get
perms and presses.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
It was a very.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Traumatic experience for me as a kid and uh, and
then there was the option to have locks, but locks
weren't really accepted. They were considered dirty. They would say
you don't wash your hair, and then they would tell
you to cut those off. But I'm fortunate that in
the time that I came up, a lot of those
things started to go away. Like my hair right now
(15:28):
is in locks because I didn't want the trauma from
from pressing in perms. And one of the first children's
books that I that I did was for an author,
Namela Tasha Perry. She's a local author to to Michigan,
and her first book was called Hair Like Mine, and
it was one of the earlier books that I that
I at least I had ever seen or even worked on,
(15:50):
that was teaching young kids, to young black kids, to
love their hair, that their kinks and their curls are
not a bad thing. To embracete natural hair. So that
was actually my first step into seriously becoming a children's
book illustrator. And at the time I did not see
those things. So not only did it help kind of
(16:13):
pay away for more books to come out about black
acceptance not just in our hair but in our skin,
but it also paved a way for me to accept myself.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
I love that. I love that, and that is what's
so important about this, the work that you do. Kwamea
and Baalia, What about you? What is your experience? How
do you relate to the experience of black literature for
children and young adults?
Speaker 4 (16:34):
You know, I love this question because I had a
slightly different experience, right, and that is when I grew
up in my childhood home. Outside of our bedroom there
were five bookshelves stuffed with books by you know, black
authors with black characters, nonfiction and fiction. And the reason
(16:58):
for that, the reason I grew up thinking that every
household was like this, that we had a wealth of
black literature out there, is because specifically my parents' mission,
they scoured the globe looking for books like that. Right.
I didn't grow up with regular comic books. I had
golden legacy comic books, you know, talking about Chrismus Attics
(17:19):
and Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. I had, you know,
picture books. I had encyclopedias, and it's because they went
from Ghana to Ethiopia as they traveled as professors and
independent bookstores people selling out the back of their trunk
at festivals. Their mission was to make it seem like
this was reality, and I didn't know any different. And
(17:41):
somehow I feel like that leeched down to me because
now I feel like I had that same mission. I
think we all had that same mission. I think the
African American Children's Book Festival has that same mission, where
we are out there trying to stuff kids bookshelves with
books with characters that look like them so that none
of them have to grow up the way that others
(18:02):
have and suffered.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, I love that. And Sean, what about you?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Wow?
Speaker 6 (18:08):
That was emotional, seriously, because I grew up just the opposite.
I growing up my mother, my grandmother, their relationship to
books were mostly through reading the Bible. So by the
time I was old enough to read, someone bought me
an illustrated Bible and there were no black characters in that.
(18:29):
And I moved on from there to like Greek mythology,
and then like The Hardy Boys, and then I think
prior to that, the picture books that I encountered were
all at the doctor's office generally, and I loved the illustrations.
You know, I grew up in the seventies, so they
were of the sixties and say, early seventies, and I
(18:50):
loved that sort of vintage, nostalgic sort of feeling of
the art. But you know, I was also quite aware
of the absence of people that look like me. So
I think it's one of the greatest gifts to be
able to create the library of the world that shows
(19:11):
not only black children but everybody else a strong presence
of Black people and the possibilities and what we do
and what we can do. And really it's just a
reframing and recreation of how not only black children see themselves,
but how black children and black people are viewed throughout
(19:35):
the world. And that's really sort of the mission of.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
The work that I do.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah, and that is so beautiful. And let me also
emphasize the fact that not only is this an opportunity
for us to see ourselves in the literature, but it's
for the greater world to see the diversity and the
beauty and the richness that exists in the African American
communities and that's why. And these books are just the
(20:01):
best books, the best illustrated books, the best written books
for children and young adults, bar none. And I'd like
everyone to know how best to get in touch with you.
Carol Boston Weatherford. I know you all have websites, so
share with us how we can be in touch with
the work that you do.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
My website address is Cbweatherford dot com and it's the
Weather Outside like the Weather Outside and the Ford car
Cbweatherford dot com.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Cool B. Jackson, what about you?
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Ah?
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Yes, you can't find me by looking up begifted dot
com and s BS and boy ea gifted dot com,
or you can just type in Begifted you'll find me.
And of course I'll also be at the African American
Children's Book Fair on February first.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Absolutely as all of you will be Quamembalia. How do
we get in touch with you?
Speaker 4 (20:51):
I mean, my website is easy, it's Kwameanbalia dot com.
But you can also follow my newsletter black Bipopular Demand,
where we highlight books by black authors from around the
world every single week.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Fantastic And Shawn Qualls, what about you?
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Shawnqualls dot com. And that's s, E A, n q U, A,
L L S and social media. Just google Seawan Quall's
art and you can find me on various platforms.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Well.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
The opportunity to meet all of you will exist at
the thirty third Annual African American Children's Book Fair once again.
Vanessloyd's Gunbody, who is the founder of this extraordinary event,
remind us when, where and how we can find out more.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
The event is on Saturday, February the first, from one
to four pm. We're in the Big House, you know.
We started over at the old John Watermakers and we're
now at the Convention Center, which is a major milestone.
And the event is free. And all of the voices
you've heard, you've been hearing them on the radio in PSAs,
(22:00):
but this is an opportunity to meet them, an opportunity
to engage, and of course to purchase book because preserve
a legacy and buy a book. You can't tell a
child to read there are no books in the home.
You can't go to your schools and complain that there
are no books in the classroom when you don't even
have books at home. And I just want to give
a quick shout out to some of the people who
(22:20):
are giving it away promotional giveaways to educators. That's a
separate area. WDAS and Power ninety nine will be broadcasting live,
so you'll get the chance to meet your favorite broadcaster.
Comcast for Riise and Read by four. Penn Museum, Brian
Green Wells Fargo, a lot of elected official President Kenyalla Johnson,
(22:41):
Cindy Bass, Katherine Richardson Gilmore, Curtis Jones, Kendra Brooks, Jeffrey
Young are all some of the people who will be there.
You'll get a chance to meet these people, the Penn Museum,
Pha and of course the fabulous, the amazing, incredible Me.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Because you know, if I have a Pops it's on.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Okay, when the Pops come, you know it's not on
because at the end of the program, when they see
me with my ugs on, they say, you know what,
the program's over. So please come and support this wonderful
event and these great creators because this is the best
and the brightest from the literary community.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
And those books are so amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And she mentioned be mentioned about the hair situation. We
have four authors who've written books about hair and they
are magnificent. And Carol didn't mention she's nominated for an
Image Award.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Oh nactm yes, the fatulations.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
In fact of ye four of the nominees are going
to be at the book fair, and we're waiting to
hear on Monday who else is going to be there.
But it doesn't matter whether they win awards or not.
This is truly some of the best books that I've
ever seen. So come out and support Saturday, February the first,
from one to four pm and call two point five
(24:03):
eight seven eight book Do not leave a forty minute message.
Thank you preserve legacy.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Vaness, you are so you and we love you for it,
and we love the fact that you've created this extraordinary
event bringing the best authors and illustrators of children's books
and young adult books right here to Philadelphia. Vaness Lloyd's
Gambadi and we've also been joined by Carol Boston, Weatherford,
b Jackson, Quame Imbalia, and Sean Quawls. And we'll see
(24:33):
you all at the African American Children's Book Fair. Thank
you all for joining us today. Families in Poveri spent
over eighty percent of their income on essentials like food
and housing, and that leaves not a whole lot of
room for clothing. That is a problem that so many
(24:56):
families are experiencing, particularly here in Philadelphia. We are the
large city with the highest poverty rate. We can do
something about that. We can keep our kids warm with
the help of an organization called Operation Warm. Gray Sicca,
who is executive director of Operation Warm, is joining us
here to tell us how and why coats and shoes
(25:16):
are the most needed items for kids and under resource communities.
Thank you so much for joining us here today.
Speaker 7 (25:21):
Operation Worm has been serving our mission for twenty six years,
and we were founded just outside of Philadelphia and Chester County.
Over the last twenty six years, we've partnered with thousands
of direct service organizations organizations that serve children in poverty
every day, organizations like homeless shelters and headstarts, schools and
(25:46):
additional services. What those organizations have shared with us is
that in situations where families are allocating eighty percent of
their income to housing and food and care, those additional
choices are tough to make. Quotes and shoes repeatedly come
to the top of the list as the most needed
(26:07):
items for children, and based on those findings, that's really
where we've built our organization and have focused our mission.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Not having warm clothing has a greater impact than simply
being chilly. It has an impact on a sense of self,
and I wonder if you can talk a little more
about what the impact of not having adequate clothing has.
Speaker 7 (26:32):
I have been fortunate enough to attend hundred of code
giving events at this point, and I've seen many children who,
because they don't have a winter quat or don't have
a comfortable pair of shoes, are challenged to get to
school on inclement weather days, challenged to play as freely
(26:55):
as they would like during recess, and maybe because of
those feeling of insecurity, are a little reticent in how
they engage with their peers. So we know anecdotally and
then also from research that the gift of these items
and allowing children, preparing children to engage confidently with their
(27:18):
peers in school has an outsized impact. And that's really
kind of what we believe learning and what we program around.
It's the idea that we can take care of these
basic needs for families that are making lots of tough
decisions and set kids up for success in the academic year.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Tell us more about how Operation Warm actually works.
Speaker 7 (27:40):
Operation Warm is a really focused organization. We only provide
coats and shoes and socks to children, but what makes
us unique is that we manufacture the items ourselves. So
when we were founded twenty six years ago, we were
committed to the idea that we want to to gift
(28:00):
items that were of the same quality that we would
give to our own children. So the children who receive
our coats are able to often select from a variety
of colors and styles to make sure that they feel
great about the items that they have, and for the
children we serve, the gift of something new is sometimes
(28:22):
a rarity. It's often a rarity they're used to hand
me downs or going without. That idea that we want
to instill dignity and confidence into every child is really
at the cornerstone of what we do.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Tell us how we can help.
Speaker 7 (28:38):
The great thing about the Operation Warm program and the
way that we're able to run as efficiently as we do,
is that we really rely on community volunteers to build
our program and to activate it across the country. And
there's a great example this week we're launching with Subru.
Subru has retailers across the Philadelphia region that have identified
(29:03):
beneficiary organizations in their community. Each of those beneficiary organizations
will be delivered by Subru brand new coats and shoes.
So we're really excited about this program, and it's also
a really good example of how people can get involved.
If you want to volunteer your time or make a
financial donation for cotes and shoes, or just learn more
(29:26):
about the program that we're activating this month, you can
visit operationworm dot org slash subru for all of that information.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
All right, Gray Sika, who's executive director of Operation Warm,
thank you so much.
Speaker 7 (29:39):
Thanks for having me stay warm.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app yy Word's Philadelphia
Community podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morral and I stand for service to
our community and media. That is hours. What will you
stand for? You've been listening to Insight and thank you
You are listening to Insight, a show about empowering our community.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrell, and I am so delighted to
introduce this segment because we're going to be talking about
one of my absolutely favorite I say this a lot,
but this truly is one of my favorite events of
the year, and that is the twenty twenty five African
American Children's Book Fair, and its founder and Queen of
(00:22):
African American Children's Books is Vaness Lloyd's Gumbadi who created
this amazing event. Vaness tell us about the African American
Children's Book Fair.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
It is the thirty third I was ten when I started.
You know, pretty soon I'm going to have to figure
out a way how to fudge that I'm an old
person still doing something that.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
You're still looking good girl.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Hey, you know, the real good thing about it is
if you do something that you're passionate about. But it
is one of the oldest and largest single day event
for diverse children's books in the country, and it is
a global event because we get people who come from
all over the United States. Last year, I had someone
who came from Ghana to attend the book Fair that
(01:06):
I met in Europe. But it is a free event
and it's one to four pm, and we have the
most amazing lineup of authors and illustrators who one thing
is really good about this event is that they're accessible.
They're there to speak to you, to enlighten you, to
empower you. And of course we have that wonderful bookstore
(01:27):
and the legendary literary Row. We've got the Educator's book Giveaway.
Wonderful sponsors like Wells Fargo will all be there in attendance.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And that is happening on what date and where.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Saturday, February the first, from one to four pm. And
don't forget Pico. They've got all these debut books, books
that just came out in January, and they're going to
be giving them away to educators.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Well, we have some of the superstar I feel like
this is like an amazing superstar lineup of some of
the best children and a young adult book authors. And
we're talking about just in general. The quality of these
authors and illustrators is unbelievable. Newberry Award winners, Caldecott Award winners,
Coretta Scott King Award winners. They are really incredible and
(02:14):
we're going to be speaking to them today. B Jackson
is the New York Times best selling illustrator. Quame Imbalia
is one of those rare individuals who has his own imprint,
Freedom Fire, and we're going to talk about his book.
Sean Qualls had a wonderful book that he worked together
with Spike Lee and his wife. Carol Boston Weatherford, the
(02:35):
Dean of Black Children's Books, and she has created one
of my absolute favorite books of all time, Crowning Glory,
a celebration of black hair. So let's talk to all
of these amazing people. Carol Boston weather Or, you are
a true icon when it comes to children's literature, and
I wonder if you can tell us a little bit
about your origin story. How did you come to write
(02:57):
children's books.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I started writing books when I was a relatively new mother.
I've been in the industry. Now this is my thirtieth year.
I've got more than eighty books, and now I am
a grandmother. So you know, my career is really I
wist say it's kind of come full circle because I
started out writing board books, and when I had grandchildren,
(03:20):
I started writing board books again. But I'm best known
for my biographies. And my nonfiction and the book that
I'm showcasing at the African American Children's Book Fair is
Crowning Glory, a celebration of black hair, and it kind
of encompasses my own experience as a daughter, as a mother,
(03:42):
and as a grandmother dealing with black hair in the
home and at beauty shops. I'm really excited about coming
to Philly and sharing that book.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
That's fantastic. I know that I wish I had a
book like that when I was growing up, because I
think that now we have so many wonderful books that
were the black experience, and for children to be able
to see themselves in their books in these books is
absolutely priceless, and that is what your books do so beautifully.
Let's turn to b. Jackson. You're a New York Times
(04:14):
bestselling illustrator, and I wonder if you can tell us
about what you're planning to highlight at the African American
Children's Book Fair.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Ah.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
Yes, I'd be happy to I will be highlighting my book,
Louie Stream, which is my first author illustrated story. I've
been in the business of illustrating children's boosts for over
twenty years. I've worked with a lot of authors both
local and around the world, and I finally got an
opportunity to tell my own story. But I wanted to
(04:43):
share a story that's about magic and fantasy so that
young black kids can see themselves in more magical settings,
which is something that I liked growing up. I would
love to see characters that look like me in the
form of mermaids and fairies and just like find that
magic and wonder on our side, on our side of things.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
So I have not had the pleasure of seeing it,
but I'm already picturing the beautiful colors that must go
into creating fairies, right, fairies and their gorgeous wings.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Ah.
Speaker 6 (05:15):
Yes, of course.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
I actually took a lot of inspiration from different butterflies
that exists in the world. I want to just tell
a story that we're different cultures that are represented the
butterflies that the fairies take after they represent the different
wings of butterflies from those cultures. So you have monarch butterflies,
you have the blue butterflies. And it was really a
(05:40):
show of my love of nature and flowers and gardening
and how you have butterfly communities that are that are being.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
Lost to the world.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
So it's also a book about inspiring kids to get
more associated with nature, to connect with to connect with
nature so that they could help these communities thrive in
their own way as well. So that's a huge inspiration
for me.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Yes, yes, it sounds amazing. Kwame and Balia husband, father, writer,
a New York Times bestselling author, publisher, and former pharmaceutical metrologist. Wow,
it sounds like you did a major pivot from a
metrologist to an author. How did you do that?
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Pivot is such an interesting word. I wouldn't say pivot.
I would say that I've always written, you know, despite
how you may see me in public or you know
how I may post willy nilly online on social media.
I was incredibly shy as a kid, and so writing
was how I really processed emotions and communicated feelings. And
(06:43):
so I've always been a writer. I just didn't know
that I could make a career out of it until
I got some very important encouragement in a push to
try and make a go of it. I thought I
would always just write for myself. And I tell young
people all the time, you can be an author and
(07:04):
a writer, even if you know you have one reader
that reader being yourself, and it's just that important to
make sure that your very first reader, who is yourself,
loves the stuff that you are writing. And so I've
always been a writer. I was just very fortunate that
Disney wrote a check that allowed me to reluctantly say
(07:27):
goodbye to pharmaceutical metrology, wistfully gazing at it as it
disappeared into the distance. That allowed me to become a
full time writer.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Well, you are engaged in this book in partnership with
Nicholas Smith illustrator exploring the world of Marvel Studios Captain
America Brave New World, which I'm so excited about because
I'm a huge fan of Sam Wilson, the new Captain America.
He is a black Captain America and so exciting to
see superheroes reflected to reflect our world as well. I
(08:00):
wonder if you can tell us a little more about
that that's coming up, because it's got to be tied
in with the upcoming movie that's about to premiere.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
It is it's tied to a Brave New World, and
I think Nicholas and I, who both have you know,
young children, young Black children. Something that was very important
to us is that we can get very lost in
the idea of big heroic actions like you know, saving
the world and rescuing people from you know, a falling
(08:31):
building or stopping a speeding train, and then we forget
about the small, quiet heroic actions that people do on
a daily basis. And we really wanted to highlight that
in this book that anyone, at any point in time
can do something heroic, and that there is no set, uniform,
stature or build that you know would prevent you from
(08:53):
becoming a hero. All you have to do is choose
to do it and set your mind to it.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Sean Claulls, You've had the opportunity to illustrate many books,
and particularly you've had a really cool partnership with some
very well known people. In fact, I actually interviewed Spike
Lee and his wife for the book that you collaborated with.
Tell us a little bit about your collaboration with some
amazing individuals like Spike Lee and others Questlove for instance,
(09:23):
tell Us more so.
Speaker 6 (09:25):
Yeah, most recent collaborations with Questlove on a book called
The Idea in You. But my very first collaboration with
someone well known was with Tony Morrison. I mean, I
love all the collaborations I've done, including the one I
did with Carol Tony Morrison, was really special for me
(09:46):
because she's just such an icon of Black literature and
literature in general. It's just such an honor to bring
her words and images to life and the illustrations that
I did for the book Little Cloud and Lady Wind.
And then I moved on to do a book called
Giant Steps with Spike Lee and his wife Tanya Lewis Lee,
(10:09):
which is all about various people throughout history, including Barack
Obama and Basquiat, Jesse Owens, who have made an impact
on the world, and also sort of telling the story
in such a way that hopefully children and their families
(10:30):
can relate to and letting them know that it's possible
to also follow their dreams and take giant steps and
make an impact on the world. And then most recently
it just came out in September, I collaborated with Questlove,
who's also from Philly. The book, The Idea in You
is really about it's a permission slip really for children
(10:52):
to really allow themselves to dream, to have ideas, to
spend time on their own cultivating their ideas and relate
to revel in their imagination and creativity.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
I imagine that must have been a fascinating project. Questlove,
I think is one of the most brilliant people I
have ever experienced. My mind goes places that I can't
even begin to describe, so that must have been quite
the experience. I want to talk to Carol Boston Weatherford
because right here, as I'm speaking to all of you,
(11:31):
we have different generations of authors and illustrators in this space.
We talk about black children's literature and young adult books,
but these are really great books, period. But I would
like to talk to you, Carol about the evolution that
you've seen over the years. When I was coming up,
and I'm a lot older than I look, so I
(11:53):
can tell you that when I was growing up, there
were no books of people that looked anything like me.
And if there was a book, it would be something
that was so offensive that I wouldn't even want to
bring it up, right. So I wonder if you can reflect,
you know, as someone who has been in this business
for a while, about the evolution that you've seen for
(12:14):
black children's literature and young adult literature.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
I'm glad you brought that up because I'm closer to
your generation, Lorraine, than the other panelists today, the other authors.
When I was growing up, I was pretty much deprived
of African American children's literature because little existed, little was
being published. I was exposed to poetry of Langston Hughes,
(12:39):
but that wasn't necessarily poetry that he wrote for, you know,
for children. And then when I became a mother, I
noticed in the that was in the early in the
mid eighties. I noticed that the in late eighties, I
noticed that there were more diverse books for my children
than there had been for me, and I kind of
wrote in on that wave as an a new author.
(13:01):
Now there are many, many voices, many children's African American
and BIPOC children's book authors and illustrators, and I'm really
happy to see that my granddaughter has more access to
diverse books than than her mother had and certainly than
(13:22):
I had. So I'm hoping that the trend will continue
and that families and community organizations will recognize the importance
of having books black books in the home and in
community settings, churches, barbershops, beauty shops, so that children can
have access to the books. And of course they're you know,
(13:44):
of course public library is just a treasure, but we
can't allow the fact that the books may not be
in classrooms, and all of our books may not be
in classrooms. You know, we may be in one classroom
not in another. But we need to make sure that
we have these books in the home. And that's where
events like the thirty third African American Children's Book Fair
(14:07):
come into play. It's very important and you'll see families
buying books and really refuting the myth, the lie that
black people don't read. We do read, and we share
books in our home. We share books with our children.
We model reading for our children, and we want to
create a language rich environment for our children by sharing
(14:29):
books with them in the home.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah, I'd like to speak to each of you and
how you relate to your own experience with literature that
reflects our heritage and our experiences. B I don't know
if I'm stereotyping you, but I think you might be
the youngest one there. But I could be wrong, but
let's speakin with you. You know, Carol talked about and certainly
(14:53):
I have about growing up not having those books available.
What about you, what was it like for you?
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Well, I would say for experience, it would be in
relation to black hair. I grew up having to get
perms and presses.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
It was a very.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Traumatic experience for me as a kid and uh, and
then there was the option to have locks, but locks
weren't really accepted. They were considered dirty. They would say
you don't wash your hair, and then they would tell
you to cut those off. But I'm fortunate that in
the time that I came up, a lot of those
things started to go away. Like my hair right now
(15:28):
is in locks because I didn't want the trauma from
from pressing in perms. And one of the first children's
books that I that I did was for an author,
Namela Tasha Perry. She's a local author to to Michigan,
and her first book was called Hair Like Mine, and
it was one of the earlier books that I that
I at least I had ever seen or even worked on,
(15:50):
that was teaching young kids, to young black kids, to
love their hair, that their kinks and their curls are
not a bad thing. To embracete natural hair. So that
was actually my first step into seriously becoming a children's
book illustrator. And at the time I did not see
those things. So not only did it help kind of
(16:13):
pay away for more books to come out about black
acceptance not just in our hair but in our skin,
but it also paved a way for me to accept myself.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
I love that. I love that, and that is what's
so important about this, the work that you do. Kwamea
and Baalia, What about you? What is your experience? How
do you relate to the experience of black literature for
children and young adults?
Speaker 4 (16:34):
You know, I love this question because I had a
slightly different experience, right, and that is when I grew
up in my childhood home. Outside of our bedroom there
were five bookshelves stuffed with books by you know, black
authors with black characters, nonfiction and fiction. And the reason
(16:58):
for that, the reason I grew up thinking that every
household was like this, that we had a wealth of
black literature out there, is because specifically my parents' mission,
they scoured the globe looking for books like that. Right.
I didn't grow up with regular comic books. I had
golden legacy comic books, you know, talking about Chrismus Attics
(17:19):
and Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. I had, you know,
picture books. I had encyclopedias, and it's because they went
from Ghana to Ethiopia as they traveled as professors and
independent bookstores people selling out the back of their trunk
at festivals. Their mission was to make it seem like
this was reality, and I didn't know any different. And
(17:41):
somehow I feel like that leeched down to me because
now I feel like I had that same mission. I
think we all had that same mission. I think the
African American Children's Book Festival has that same mission, where
we are out there trying to stuff kids bookshelves with
books with characters that look like them so that none
of them have to grow up the way that others
(18:02):
have and suffered.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, I love that. And Sean, what about you?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Wow?
Speaker 6 (18:08):
That was emotional, seriously, because I grew up just the opposite.
I growing up my mother, my grandmother, their relationship to
books were mostly through reading the Bible. So by the
time I was old enough to read, someone bought me
an illustrated Bible and there were no black characters in that.
(18:29):
And I moved on from there to like Greek mythology,
and then like The Hardy Boys, and then I think
prior to that, the picture books that I encountered were
all at the doctor's office generally, and I loved the illustrations.
You know, I grew up in the seventies, so they
were of the sixties and say, early seventies, and I
(18:50):
loved that sort of vintage, nostalgic sort of feeling of
the art. But you know, I was also quite aware
of the absence of people that look like me. So
I think it's one of the greatest gifts to be
able to create the library of the world that shows
(19:11):
not only black children but everybody else a strong presence
of Black people and the possibilities and what we do
and what we can do. And really it's just a
reframing and recreation of how not only black children see themselves,
but how black children and black people are viewed throughout
(19:35):
the world. And that's really sort of the mission of.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
The work that I do.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah, and that is so beautiful. And let me also
emphasize the fact that not only is this an opportunity
for us to see ourselves in the literature, but it's
for the greater world to see the diversity and the
beauty and the richness that exists in the African American
communities and that's why. And these books are just the
(20:01):
best books, the best illustrated books, the best written books
for children and young adults, bar none. And I'd like
everyone to know how best to get in touch with you.
Carol Boston Weatherford. I know you all have websites, so
share with us how we can be in touch with
the work that you do.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
My website address is Cbweatherford dot com and it's the
Weather Outside like the Weather Outside and the Ford car
Cbweatherford dot com.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Cool B. Jackson, what about you?
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Ah?
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Yes, you can't find me by looking up begifted dot
com and s BS and boy ea gifted dot com,
or you can just type in Begifted you'll find me.
And of course I'll also be at the African American
Children's Book Fair on February first.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Absolutely as all of you will be Quamembalia. How do
we get in touch with you?
Speaker 4 (20:51):
I mean, my website is easy, it's Kwameanbalia dot com.
But you can also follow my newsletter black Bipopular Demand,
where we highlight books by black authors from around the
world every single week.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Fantastic And Shawn Qualls, what about you?
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Shawnqualls dot com. And that's s, E A, n q U, A,
L L S and social media. Just google Seawan Quall's
art and you can find me on various platforms.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Well.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
The opportunity to meet all of you will exist at
the thirty third Annual African American Children's Book Fair once again.
Vanessloyd's Gunbody, who is the founder of this extraordinary event,
remind us when, where and how we can find out more.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
The event is on Saturday, February the first, from one
to four pm. We're in the Big House, you know.
We started over at the old John Watermakers and we're
now at the Convention Center, which is a major milestone.
And the event is free. And all of the voices
you've heard, you've been hearing them on the radio in PSAs,
(22:00):
but this is an opportunity to meet them, an opportunity
to engage, and of course to purchase book because preserve
a legacy and buy a book. You can't tell a
child to read there are no books in the home.
You can't go to your schools and complain that there
are no books in the classroom when you don't even
have books at home. And I just want to give
a quick shout out to some of the people who
(22:20):
are giving it away promotional giveaways to educators. That's a
separate area. WDAS and Power ninety nine will be broadcasting live,
so you'll get the chance to meet your favorite broadcaster.
Comcast for Riise and Read by four. Penn Museum, Brian
Green Wells Fargo, a lot of elected official President Kenyalla Johnson,
(22:41):
Cindy Bass, Katherine Richardson Gilmore, Curtis Jones, Kendra Brooks, Jeffrey
Young are all some of the people who will be there.
You'll get a chance to meet these people, the Penn Museum,
Pha and of course the fabulous, the amazing, incredible Me.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Because you know, if I have a Pops it's on.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Okay, when the Pops come, you know it's not on
because at the end of the program, when they see
me with my ugs on, they say, you know what,
the program's over. So please come and support this wonderful
event and these great creators because this is the best
and the brightest from the literary community.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
And those books are so amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And she mentioned be mentioned about the hair situation. We
have four authors who've written books about hair and they
are magnificent. And Carol didn't mention she's nominated for an
Image Award.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Oh nactm yes, the fatulations.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
In fact of ye four of the nominees are going
to be at the book fair, and we're waiting to
hear on Monday who else is going to be there.
But it doesn't matter whether they win awards or not.
This is truly some of the best books that I've
ever seen. So come out and support Saturday, February the first,
from one to four pm and call two point five
(24:03):
eight seven eight book Do not leave a forty minute message.
Thank you preserve legacy.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Vaness, you are so you and we love you for it,
and we love the fact that you've created this extraordinary
event bringing the best authors and illustrators of children's books
and young adult books right here to Philadelphia. Vaness Lloyd's
Gambadi and we've also been joined by Carol Boston, Weatherford,
b Jackson, Quame Imbalia, and Sean Quawls. And we'll see
(24:33):
you all at the African American Children's Book Fair. Thank
you all for joining us today. Families in Poveri spent
over eighty percent of their income on essentials like food
and housing, and that leaves not a whole lot of
room for clothing. That is a problem that so many
(24:56):
families are experiencing, particularly here in Philadelphia. We are the
large city with the highest poverty rate. We can do
something about that. We can keep our kids warm with
the help of an organization called Operation Warm. Gray Sicca,
who is executive director of Operation Warm, is joining us
here to tell us how and why coats and shoes
(25:16):
are the most needed items for kids and under resource communities.
Thank you so much for joining us here today.
Speaker 7 (25:21):
Operation Worm has been serving our mission for twenty six years,
and we were founded just outside of Philadelphia and Chester County.
Over the last twenty six years, we've partnered with thousands
of direct service organizations organizations that serve children in poverty
every day, organizations like homeless shelters and headstarts, schools and
(25:46):
additional services. What those organizations have shared with us is
that in situations where families are allocating eighty percent of
their income to housing and food and care, those additional
choices are tough to make. Quotes and shoes repeatedly come
to the top of the list as the most needed
(26:07):
items for children, and based on those findings, that's really
where we've built our organization and have focused our mission.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Not having warm clothing has a greater impact than simply
being chilly. It has an impact on a sense of self,
and I wonder if you can talk a little more
about what the impact of not having adequate clothing has.
Speaker 7 (26:32):
I have been fortunate enough to attend hundred of code
giving events at this point, and I've seen many children who,
because they don't have a winter quat or don't have
a comfortable pair of shoes, are challenged to get to
school on inclement weather days, challenged to play as freely
(26:55):
as they would like during recess, and maybe because of
those feeling of insecurity, are a little reticent in how
they engage with their peers. So we know anecdotally and
then also from research that the gift of these items
and allowing children, preparing children to engage confidently with their
(27:18):
peers in school has an outsized impact. And that's really
kind of what we believe learning and what we program around.
It's the idea that we can take care of these
basic needs for families that are making lots of tough
decisions and set kids up for success in the academic year.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Tell us more about how Operation Warm actually works.
Speaker 7 (27:40):
Operation Warm is a really focused organization. We only provide
coats and shoes and socks to children, but what makes
us unique is that we manufacture the items ourselves. So
when we were founded twenty six years ago, we were
committed to the idea that we want to to gift
(28:00):
items that were of the same quality that we would
give to our own children. So the children who receive
our coats are able to often select from a variety
of colors and styles to make sure that they feel
great about the items that they have, and for the
children we serve, the gift of something new is sometimes
(28:22):
a rarity. It's often a rarity they're used to hand
me downs or going without. That idea that we want
to instill dignity and confidence into every child is really
at the cornerstone of what we do.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Tell us how we can help.
Speaker 7 (28:38):
The great thing about the Operation Warm program and the
way that we're able to run as efficiently as we do,
is that we really rely on community volunteers to build
our program and to activate it across the country. And
there's a great example this week we're launching with Subru.
Subru has retailers across the Philadelphia region that have identified
(29:03):
beneficiary organizations in their community. Each of those beneficiary organizations
will be delivered by Subru brand new coats and shoes.
So we're really excited about this program, and it's also
a really good example of how people can get involved.
If you want to volunteer your time or make a
financial donation for cotes and shoes, or just learn more
(29:26):
about the program that we're activating this month, you can
visit operationworm dot org slash subru for all of that information.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
All right, Gray Sika, who's executive director of Operation Warm,
thank you so much.
Speaker 7 (29:39):
Thanks for having me stay warm.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app yy Word's Philadelphia
Community podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard Morral and I stand for service to
our community and media. That is hours. What will you
stand for? You've been listening to Insight and thank you
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