January 10, 2025 • 29 mins
The African American Children's Book Project's 33rd Annual Book Fair is happening on Saturday, February 1st, from 1 to 4 PM at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This free event brings together bestselling authors Carole Boston Weatherford, Kwame Mbalia, Bryan Collier, and other award-winning Black authors and illustrators. Enjoy giveaways, prizes, and a bookstore with affordable books for purchase. In this episode, I speak with Paralee Knight, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Impact at Wells Fargo, the presenting sponsor of the event. We discuss the importance of representation in children's and young adult literature and explore how this signature event fosters a love of reading. For more information, call (215) 878-BOOK or visit www.theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org.
We highlight the 30th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, the largest King Day of Service in the nation. This event celebrates Dr. King’s vision of The Beloved Community—a society rooted in justice, diversity, peace, and freedom—by engaging over 100,000 volunteers in meaningful service. This year, the event not only honors Dr. King’s enduring legacy but also commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight for equity and justice. I speak with Todd Bernstein, President of Global Citizen and the visionary Founder and Director of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, about the significance of this milestone and the power of service in creating lasting change. Learn more at www.mlkdayofservice.org.
We highlight the 30th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, the largest King Day of Service in the nation. This event celebrates Dr. King’s vision of The Beloved Community—a society rooted in justice, diversity, peace, and freedom—by engaging over 100,000 volunteers in meaningful service. This year, the event not only honors Dr. King’s enduring legacy but also commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight for equity and justice. I speak with Todd Bernstein, President of Global Citizen and the visionary Founder and Director of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, about the significance of this milestone and the power of service in creating lasting change. Learn more at www.mlkdayofservice.org.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. You're listening to what's going on a show
about making a difference in our lives and our communities.
I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow, January twentieth marks the Greater Philadelphia Martin
Luther King Junior Day of Service, where over one hundred
thousand volunteers will be engaged in community service projects across
the Delaware Valley. We'll be talking about this inspiring event
(00:21):
with its founder, Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen. But first,
one of my absolute favorite events every year is the
African American Children's Book Fair. The thirty third annual is
coming up. It's always the first Saturday in February. And
one of the primary sponsors and we're so happy about
that is Wells Fargo. And joining us right now is
(00:43):
Parley Knight, vice President of Philanthropy and Community Impact at
Wells Fargo. So great to see you again.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Great to see you, Lorraine. Is always a pleasure to
spend time with you.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, and we're going to be broadcasting live at the
African American Children's Book Fair, which is on Saturday, the first. Yes,
and tell us why Wells Fargo supports us every year.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, it's really important for Wells Fager. First of all,
our mission is to help our customers succeed financially and
in order for folks to be financially responsible, obviously it
starts at early age a lot of times. And so
for our students and young people to be financially responsible
for first of all, they have to be literate, and
so really promoting financial literacy in general, so all students
(01:23):
is really important. But then specifically, we know that a
lot of times communities that don't always have great resources
don't always have the opportunity to have access to great literature,
and so we're just really really happy to be a
supportive agent of this in this community.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
And of course this is an event that is created
has been created by Vaness Lloyd's Gambadi, who we absolutely
adore it and this is wonderful because it allows all
of us to meet some of the most amazing and
award winning authors and illustrators of children's literature and young
adult books.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Indeed, indeed we're excited about that and shout out to VanNess.
We're always pulling together of the best to come to
this community. Yeah for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, I'd like to delve a little bit into your
history of reading, because I know that for me. One
thing that very clear to me is that when I
was growing up, and I'm a little bit older than you,
there was no diversity in books, in children's books. In fact,
and I hate to even say it out loud, but
the only book with black characters in it was Little
(02:27):
Black Sambo. That was a book that it was actually
in my classroom that we were allowed to read. And
so I didn't see myself in any of the books
that I read. Things have changed, But I wonder if
you can tell about your experience growing up and reading.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, absolutely, well, thank you for asking and for sharing
your story. Interestingly enough, when I was younger, my mom
used to actually make me read like a book every
two weeks. She was really, really really making sure that
I really had opportunities to be connected with literature. But
to your point, I didn't see myself in a lot
of those books. I was reading things one to age myself.
But folks who might remember like the Babysitters Clubs books
(03:03):
and actually a lot of Judy Bloom things when I
was younger, because she made like a lot of things
for children. I think when I was a little bit older,
I actually started to be curious about literature and Terry
mcmill and I actually probably should not have been reading
her her material, but I was because I was too
young for at the time. But I was so enthralled
with stories like waiting to Exhale, with stories like disappearing acts,
(03:25):
because even though I was a little bit younger and
I couldn't necessarily relate to all of the things that
the adults were going through, I saw people that I
knew in those books. I saw people in my community
and my family, and it just felt like I was
understood as a young black girl. Just felt amazing, and
so I think that that was like my first entrance
(03:45):
into really seeing black characters that I just thought were
just so breathtaking. And then from there I actually just
kind of went on a journey of from reading those
type of books that really self help as I got older,
because I just love to have books that really just
touched my mind and I can just really try to
learn more from that. But that was my early interest.
I would say Terry McMillan was the one for me.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
One of the great things about the African American children's
book The Fair and actually knowing Vaness is that she's
introduced me to so many amazing authors and illustrators. And
what I wish that I had were some of the
books that talked about black hair. You know, Like there's
one and I'm terrible because I can't remember any of
(04:26):
the title names, but there's one that's like a Newberry
Award winner and I think Crown is in the title,
and it's about a young boy getting his first haircut
at a barber. But I've also read other books about
girls and their hair and as a young girl with
crazy hair, you know, like my mom used to And
(04:49):
this is again, this dates me because she is denying
an actual iron to straighten.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Out my hair.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I mean, that's how old school we were back then.
But to be able to see these young boys and
girls and to have their hair be celebrated and to
be cast in such a positive light, for me, my
curly hair when I was growing up was a downfall,
(05:15):
you know. And I lived in mostly white neighborhoods growing
up because my dad was in the military, moved all around,
and so I really didn't have anybody that I could
look to and say, you know, you're you're okay, your
hair is curly and frizzy, but it's okay because it's
beautiful and you're beautiful. I didn't have that, and that
was something that I had to address as a as
(05:35):
an adult eventually, for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, So, first of all, I wanted to say thank
you for sharing your story about the iron, because I
can tell you, in the black community, especially in my household,
we may not have had the iron. We had the
hot comb, right, and we were those stories of getting
your ear having ale ear down, those are classic stories
coming up in our community. But yes, you're right, it's
like to be able to have the opportunity to see
yourself in your experiences and the things that you're reading,
(05:58):
and understanding that other kids are going through the same
thing and having the same experiences is super important. And
I actually realized, and I was looking up when you
were talking, I think the book you were referring to
was Crown and Owed to the Fresh Cut. Yeah, that's
the book you're looking for.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
What a great title and beautifully illustrated.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yes, absolutely, Oh it's so it's.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
So gorgeous and it's really a book that every family
should have in their home. And I also want to
address the fact that what we're starting to see at
the African American Book Children's Book Fair is a little
more diversity that in the sense that there are some
white folks that bringing their kids in. Absolutely, because you know,
it's it's these these books are not only great books
(06:38):
by black authors and illustrators, they're just great books period.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yes, yes, that's amazing that you said that, because I
think that one of the things that can sometimes get
lost in the conversation, and we don't have to delve
too deep here, but that people sometimes forget is that
the Black experience is the American experience, and obviously the
American experience is engulfing of many different races and cultures,
and so yes, at the book fair there are lots
of different people from different backs around the coming and
it's so beautiful to see the community that comes out,
(07:03):
the people who bring out their children, and the students
all in one place. To really have access to such
such great literature.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, it is. It is fantastic, And I think the
event itself is so wonderful because the point that you
made at the very beginning is that in order to
really have life sustaining careers and to be homeowners and
all the things that we hope for the American dream.
It really starts with literacy being able to read at
(07:31):
grade level by fourth grade.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Right, yes, absolutely, absolutely, it's so important those building blocks
because we can't skip to grade ten and eleven and
twelve without getting through grades K through fourth and so
the building blocks really we find of those years are
so significant in how folks are able to be successful,
and so we think it's so important to reach folks
at an early age, right, right.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So let's talk about the specifics that is the African
American Children's Book Fair is When is it exact?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Well, it is Saturday, February first, from one to four
pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. We are so looking
forward to seeing you all there. As Lorraine mentioned, there
will be a live broadcast. Wells Fargo will be in
the building giving out some free trashkeys as we like
to say, so some really nice giveaways. And so we're
just looking forward to meeting and greeting everyone and seeing
you all there on Saturday, February first.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
It's a beautiful thing. Bring your families, bring your community there.
It is a fabulous event with again the top authors
and illustrators of children's books that happen to be black.
These are the best books period, They're fantastic, but to
be able to meet them in person and to have
them sign your books or to buy these books. There
(08:42):
are a lot of free things that are going to
be there as well, but we also encourage you to
buy a book and to start your own home library
because that's very important in terms of supporting our kids
and being their best selves.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It's super important. And to your point, the authors are
so excited to see the folks who are reading their
material to really get to meet them, and I think
that representation for the children to see an author that
also looks like them and who's actually creating this work
is super important as well. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Parreley Night, vice president of Philanthropy and Community Impact at
Wells Fargo, which is the premier sponsor of the African
American Children's Book Fair, the thirty third annual Saturday, February first,
from one to four pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
For more information, what is that number.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
They should call? Two one five eight seven eight book fantastic.
Thank you so much, Lorraine, Thank.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
You you're listening to what's going on. The King Day
of Service is coming up and it is a day on,
not a day off. And joining us is Todd Bernstein.
He's president of Global Citizen and also the founder of
the Philadelphia Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service,
which is an extraordinary day that engages tens of thousands
(09:53):
of people throughout the Delaware Valley. Todd, it is great
to see you and very excited. Twenty twenty five. For
those who are not aware, explain to us what the
King Day of Service is.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Happy New Year, Lorraine, good to always be with you.
The concept of this goes back to nineteighteen eighty six,
and the context is that the King Federal Holiday was
established in nineteen eighty three. It started by federal legislation.
(10:27):
It was started federally in nineteen eighty six, and I
at the time was working with Harris Wofford in the
Casey administration in Harrisburg, and Harris had a very close
and professional relationship with doctor King, having been the liaison
(10:50):
between Doctor King and John Kennedy when he was running
for president in nineteen sixty and was civil rights buzz
or to President Kennedy in the administration before co founding
the Peace Corps with sergeant Driver, so Harris had his
civil rights street cred. We talked late one night in
(11:13):
Harrisburg about how so many people had fought to make
Doctor King's birthday a federal holiday across the nation. Of course,
the question was how do you how do you expand
the opportunities on that day to include every American, not
(11:35):
just those who were supporters of Doctor King, for which
there were, of course tens of thousands and millions. We
discussed the idea of bringing people together to engage in
a sort of a community building process, as neighbors, as organizations,
communities of faith, the public and private sectors to discuss
(11:58):
the needs of the community and to imagine how doctor
King might go about bringing people together to solve them.
And that's how it got started. And we started it
in Philadelphia in nineteen ninety four, So there was a
lag in between the Casey Harrisburg days and when Harris
(12:20):
became a United States Senator and in nineteen ninety four,
teaming up with the civil rights legend John Lewis, who
was a very close friend and colleague of Harris's, and
of course doctor King, and so we started it in
Philadelphia with one thousand volunteers and two point five million
volunteers later, we are celebrating our thirtieth and I think,
(12:45):
as I always say to you in conversation, Lorraine and
anyone else who will listen, this is not just about
a birthday celebration. It's about embracing Doctor King's legacy and
values and making his mission our mission too, not just
one day, but throughout the entire year.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Each year you have a specific theme that you embrace.
It's been reading and education, it's been violence prevention. What
is your theme this year?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Doctor King? You know, back in the nineteen fifties, embrace
the notion of the beloved community, and that is our
overarching theme, where all people work for justice, diversity, piece
and freedom without poverty, hunger or hate. That is a
(13:41):
sort of a guiding light for this year. It's also
the sixtieth anniversary of the nineteen sixty five Voting Rights Act,
so that plays heavily into the day. But you know,
it's up to the tens of thousands of people who
will participate just how they want to kind of strike
(14:01):
a theme, but that is a sort of an overarching
theme for the day.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
There are projects throughout the Delaware Valley, and you mentioned
the number. I guess I have to catch up. How
many volunteers do you expect this year?
Speaker 3 (14:15):
It'll be well over one hundred thousand. How that happens
is that we're sort of a connector. We're not so
much an organizer, a global citizen and the King Day
of Service, so we have a whole volunteer web portal,
So anyone who is interested in participating as an individual
(14:35):
or a group that's looking for an existing project can
go to our website at MLK Day of Service dot org.
I think a more meaningful, perhaps a more sustainable approach
is for an organization of any kind, from whatever sector
to engage in that community building process I referred to.
(14:59):
So it really creates kind of an imprint and ownership
for the particular issue that doctor King cared about, whether
it's education or economic justice, violence, voting rights. You know,
we could go on and on, but that I think
does create more chances for sustainability and continuing the King
(15:24):
Day of Service into the King Year and lifetime of service.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
There is also a signature event that is the largest
probably event that occurs, and it has been traditionally at
Gerard College tell Us more about that.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
We are partnering in particular with Mayor Parker this year,
you may recall, and really just the last month, the
Mayor announced the formation of mini city halls, if you will,
throughout the Philadelphia area in the ten councilmanic districts. They're
(16:02):
the short description is the MONTS Mini City Halls, but
MONT stands for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood and Community Engagement,
and these mini city Halls are meant to make it
easier for constituents to have some of their their issues
and challenges and needs addressed, not by necessarily having to
(16:23):
go into center city to city hall, but go into
the neighborhoods where there are these smaller operations. They're located
mostly in rec centers and schools and churches. So we're
partnering with these mini city halls and creating supplies toiletries,
(16:44):
et cetera, sorting and packing these kits at both at
Gerard College as well as at one of the Mini
city halls, and those will be distributed through the Mini
city Halls in partnership with other community organizations to people
in need who really are struggling and underscoring. Doctor King's
(17:10):
vision of the loved community.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
I'd like to get back to the specifics and the
logistics of people wanting to participate. But before we do that,
I would like to talk about Global Citizen, because the
King Day of Service is a day, but Global Citizen
encourages activism and service.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Three sixty five.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Tell us more about what you do the rest of
the year.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
When I started Global Citizen back in nineteen ninety five,
it was, you know, after working in politics and government
with Paris Wafford, who I mentioned, after being in the
public sector and having Harris and Congressman Lewis having started
the King Day of Service, we sort of launched it
from here as a nonprofit organization, Global Citizen, but also
(17:56):
understood that the Day of Citizens action could become a
year round act kind of an effort if presented, if
presenting to the community other kinds of programs, which include
our what we call our Reading Captains project that works
(18:16):
throughout the city and underserved communities to provide the resources
to families to have young people read independently by grade four.
It uses the sort of traditional block Captain methods in
Philadelphia to engage people in neighborhoods on the grassroots level
(18:36):
who know their blocks and their neighborhoods and the community.
And that is one project we've had focus around working
with corporate partners to know with the notion that our
corporate businesses and whether large or small, really do have
a civic and corporate citizenship response ability to be engaged
(19:01):
in the community because the community supports supports them. So
we work with businesses, particularly sponsors, to either create or
expand employee volunteer programs. We have a quarterly conversations on race, class,
and power that, as you know, Lorraine started back in
two thousand and nine when Harvard Professor Henry Lewis Gates
(19:26):
was arrested on his own doorstep in Cambridge by a
white police sergeant who thought he was breaking into his
own home. That led to a conversation those of the
sergeant and Professor Gates with President Obama and Vice President
Biden at the time. We brought people together to talk
(19:48):
about these key issues both in neighborhoods in our city
and nationwide and taking those kinds of concerns and figuring
out ways to bring folks together and work together and
create ongoing partnerships. Those are a few we focus on
(20:08):
issues of economic justice, which is certainly you know, was
a major focus of Doctor King on food and insecurity
and gun violence prevention. And we are a racial and
social justice organization, So while one might think of, you know,
(20:29):
volunteering as as our focus, it's really about how you
bring people together to build these kinds of relationships and
breakdown barriers, particularly of race and class, through civic engagements,
civic activism, and ongoing partnerships.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah. Well, certainly this is something we need now more
than ever, and that's what I love about the organization,
which in full disclose I am a board member, so
I have to say that, but I have loved supporting
this day and this organization over these many many years.
(21:11):
And for those who are out there who want to
do something, who want to take a day on not
a day off on the King holiday, give us the
specifics of how people can participate.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
It's very easy to go to our website at Mlkdayservice
dot org to find an existing project and they're all
over the region. You can select that opportunity and then
receive information on how to participate. And as I said,
if you're an organization of any kind and want to
(21:45):
organize your own project and accept volunteers from other neighborhoods.
You can do the same and register those Our signature project,
as always for the sixteenth year, now is at historic
Gerard College, where doctor King came in August of nineteen
sixty five to protest and demand change in the admissions
(22:08):
policies of Gerard College, which at the time only accepted
white orphaned boys, and that was a center of the
civil rights movement. It's where we've been for the past
sixteen years and people can also come there. We have
a health and wellness fair organized principally by the Black
(22:29):
Doctors Consortium and Doctor Alis Stanford, with many health organizations
providing information and testing and guidance on a whole range
of issues. Well, maybe I can tell you about a
couple projects in particular we're excited about. We're partnering with
Malcolm Jenkins Foundation. And we all remember Malcolm Jenkins as
(22:52):
a star safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, but perhaps more importantly,
he was a social justice warrior and that came out
particularly when George Floyd was murdered. And the Jenkins Foundation,
which is run by his mother, Gwendolin, who's incredibly Dynamic
(23:13):
is teaming up with National Public Radio and their story
Core project. They have a special initiative called Brightness in Black,
which interviews people amplifying the whole idea that everyone has
a story to tell and everyone's stories matters, and it
really seeks to illuminate the experiences that people have and
(23:38):
working in the community and sharing that with the community.
So we're really excited about that partnership. Also, we are
partnering with an organization known as the Book Trust and
will be handing out three thousand books to children at
Gerard College. You'll be reading stories of doctor King, sharing
(24:01):
their own and putting together literacy kits that will be
donated throughout the city after King Day. So those are
just two examples of some of what's taking place.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
And what's the website. If people want to find out
about these individual projects or want to register their project,
how do they find out more about that?
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Just go to Mlkday of Service dot org and register
your organization or as an individual, and there is a
very easy process of finding a project that you might
be interested in, that has a particular theme or mission
that is important to that person, and also the opportunity
(24:43):
to not only do it on King Day, but perhaps
to do it at other times during the year as well,
which really supports organizations, particularly throughout the city at the
grassroots level, who are always in need of resources and support.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
As we close this interview, I'd like to ask you
to reflect on doctor King's message, particularly in light of
a President elect Trump will be taking office shortly and
we are in the midst of sort of a disruptive
time regarding race, regarding class, regarding so many things that
(25:25):
Doctor King was intimately engaged in addressing the beloved community.
As you talk about, I wonder if you can perhaps
reflect on what you feel doctor King's message, how that
is relevant to the life the world that we live
in now.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
You know, as we do know, and either by coincidence
but an opportunity that the King Federal Holiday and the
inauguration of a new president occur on the same day,
January twentieth, and I think that is given the divisions
that we experience in the world, some of which still
(26:09):
are built on racism and fear of the other, and
given the concerns about what is ahead with the new administration,
I think it's a more critical time than ever really
to commit ourselves to Doctor King's values and principles and
(26:32):
mission and his lasting legacy the cause of justice and
fairness and freedom, all of which serves as an opportunity
to turn a day of community concerns into a life's
lifetime of activism and serving others. So it is both,
I think on January twentieth, a juxtaposition of ideals and
(26:58):
also the opportunity to join forces, find common ground and
work for continue to work for the justice that we
haven't fully achieved, particularly for black and brown people in
the United States.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Todd Bernstein, who was president of Global Citizen and also
the founder of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day
of Service, I'd like to acknowledge you for this extraordinary
effort that you've undertaken over these many decades. As it
began with a thousand people during a very snowy day,
Amazingly people came out for that to now in twenty
(27:36):
twenty five, over one hundred thousand volunteers in service projects
throughout the city the Greater Philadelphia area, plus all of
the projects that are engaging folks in raising our awareness
about our need to be in support of one another,
regardless of race, creed or color and for that we
thank you, Todd Bernstein. Thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I want to acknowledge you, Loraine, for being a social
justice warrior for decades in your own right and using
the platform that you have to be so supportive of
and amplifying the work of community organizations and individuals who
might not ordinarily have that opportunity. And I think it
(28:19):
serves as a way of being contagious so that others
are interested in doing the work that is in the community.
So that's off to you, my friend.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Thank you, Tod. 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
Keywords Philadelphia Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram
at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballardmorrow and I stand for
service to our community and media that empowers. What will
(28:51):
you stand for? You've been listening to what's going on?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Ed?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Thank you a AAA ran
Speaker 3 (29:05):
A s.
Good morning. You're listening to what's going on a show
about making a difference in our lives and our communities.
I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow, January twentieth marks the Greater Philadelphia Martin
Luther King Junior Day of Service, where over one hundred
thousand volunteers will be engaged in community service projects across
the Delaware Valley. We'll be talking about this inspiring event
(00:21):
with its founder, Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen. But first,
one of my absolute favorite events every year is the
African American Children's Book Fair. The thirty third annual is
coming up. It's always the first Saturday in February. And
one of the primary sponsors and we're so happy about
that is Wells Fargo. And joining us right now is
(00:43):
Parley Knight, vice President of Philanthropy and Community Impact at
Wells Fargo. So great to see you again.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Great to see you, Lorraine. Is always a pleasure to
spend time with you.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, and we're going to be broadcasting live at the
African American Children's Book Fair, which is on Saturday, the first. Yes,
and tell us why Wells Fargo supports us every year.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, it's really important for Wells Fager. First of all,
our mission is to help our customers succeed financially and
in order for folks to be financially responsible, obviously it
starts at early age a lot of times. And so
for our students and young people to be financially responsible
for first of all, they have to be literate, and
so really promoting financial literacy in general, so all students
(01:23):
is really important. But then specifically, we know that a
lot of times communities that don't always have great resources
don't always have the opportunity to have access to great literature,
and so we're just really really happy to be a
supportive agent of this in this community.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Right.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
And of course this is an event that is created
has been created by Vaness Lloyd's Gambadi, who we absolutely
adore it and this is wonderful because it allows all
of us to meet some of the most amazing and
award winning authors and illustrators of children's literature and young
adult books.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Indeed, indeed we're excited about that and shout out to VanNess.
We're always pulling together of the best to come to
this community. Yeah for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, I'd like to delve a little bit into your
history of reading, because I know that for me. One
thing that very clear to me is that when I
was growing up, and I'm a little bit older than you,
there was no diversity in books, in children's books. In fact,
and I hate to even say it out loud, but
the only book with black characters in it was Little
(02:27):
Black Sambo. That was a book that it was actually
in my classroom that we were allowed to read. And
so I didn't see myself in any of the books
that I read. Things have changed, But I wonder if
you can tell about your experience growing up and reading.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, absolutely, well, thank you for asking and for sharing
your story. Interestingly enough, when I was younger, my mom
used to actually make me read like a book every
two weeks. She was really, really really making sure that
I really had opportunities to be connected with literature. But
to your point, I didn't see myself in a lot
of those books. I was reading things one to age myself.
But folks who might remember like the Babysitters Clubs books
(03:03):
and actually a lot of Judy Bloom things when I
was younger, because she made like a lot of things
for children. I think when I was a little bit older,
I actually started to be curious about literature and Terry
mcmill and I actually probably should not have been reading
her her material, but I was because I was too
young for at the time. But I was so enthralled
with stories like waiting to Exhale, with stories like disappearing acts,
(03:25):
because even though I was a little bit younger and
I couldn't necessarily relate to all of the things that
the adults were going through, I saw people that I
knew in those books. I saw people in my community
and my family, and it just felt like I was
understood as a young black girl. Just felt amazing, and
so I think that that was like my first entrance
(03:45):
into really seeing black characters that I just thought were
just so breathtaking. And then from there I actually just
kind of went on a journey of from reading those
type of books that really self help as I got older,
because I just love to have books that really just
touched my mind and I can just really try to
learn more from that. But that was my early interest.
I would say Terry McMillan was the one for me.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
One of the great things about the African American children's
book The Fair and actually knowing Vaness is that she's
introduced me to so many amazing authors and illustrators. And
what I wish that I had were some of the
books that talked about black hair. You know, Like there's
one and I'm terrible because I can't remember any of
(04:26):
the title names, but there's one that's like a Newberry
Award winner and I think Crown is in the title,
and it's about a young boy getting his first haircut
at a barber. But I've also read other books about
girls and their hair and as a young girl with
crazy hair, you know, like my mom used to And
(04:49):
this is again, this dates me because she is denying
an actual iron to straighten.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Out my hair.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I mean, that's how old school we were back then.
But to be able to see these young boys and
girls and to have their hair be celebrated and to
be cast in such a positive light, for me, my
curly hair when I was growing up was a downfall,
(05:15):
you know. And I lived in mostly white neighborhoods growing
up because my dad was in the military, moved all around,
and so I really didn't have anybody that I could
look to and say, you know, you're you're okay, your
hair is curly and frizzy, but it's okay because it's
beautiful and you're beautiful. I didn't have that, and that
was something that I had to address as a as
(05:35):
an adult eventually, for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, So, first of all, I wanted to say thank
you for sharing your story about the iron, because I
can tell you, in the black community, especially in my household,
we may not have had the iron. We had the
hot comb, right, and we were those stories of getting
your ear having ale ear down, those are classic stories
coming up in our community. But yes, you're right, it's
like to be able to have the opportunity to see
yourself in your experiences and the things that you're reading,
(05:58):
and understanding that other kids are going through the same
thing and having the same experiences is super important. And
I actually realized, and I was looking up when you
were talking, I think the book you were referring to
was Crown and Owed to the Fresh Cut. Yeah, that's
the book you're looking for.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
What a great title and beautifully illustrated.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yes, absolutely, Oh it's so it's.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
So gorgeous and it's really a book that every family
should have in their home. And I also want to
address the fact that what we're starting to see at
the African American Book Children's Book Fair is a little
more diversity that in the sense that there are some
white folks that bringing their kids in. Absolutely, because you know,
it's it's these these books are not only great books
(06:38):
by black authors and illustrators, they're just great books period.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yes, yes, that's amazing that you said that, because I
think that one of the things that can sometimes get
lost in the conversation, and we don't have to delve
too deep here, but that people sometimes forget is that
the Black experience is the American experience, and obviously the
American experience is engulfing of many different races and cultures,
and so yes, at the book fair there are lots
of different people from different backs around the coming and
it's so beautiful to see the community that comes out,
(07:03):
the people who bring out their children, and the students
all in one place. To really have access to such
such great literature.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, it is. It is fantastic, And I think the
event itself is so wonderful because the point that you
made at the very beginning is that in order to
really have life sustaining careers and to be homeowners and
all the things that we hope for the American dream.
It really starts with literacy being able to read at
(07:31):
grade level by fourth grade.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Right, yes, absolutely, absolutely, it's so important those building blocks
because we can't skip to grade ten and eleven and
twelve without getting through grades K through fourth and so
the building blocks really we find of those years are
so significant in how folks are able to be successful,
and so we think it's so important to reach folks
at an early age, right, right.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So let's talk about the specifics that is the African
American Children's Book Fair is When is it exact?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Well, it is Saturday, February first, from one to four
pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. We are so looking
forward to seeing you all there. As Lorraine mentioned, there
will be a live broadcast. Wells Fargo will be in
the building giving out some free trashkeys as we like
to say, so some really nice giveaways. And so we're
just looking forward to meeting and greeting everyone and seeing
you all there on Saturday, February first.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
It's a beautiful thing. Bring your families, bring your community there.
It is a fabulous event with again the top authors
and illustrators of children's books that happen to be black.
These are the best books period, They're fantastic, but to
be able to meet them in person and to have
them sign your books or to buy these books. There
(08:42):
are a lot of free things that are going to
be there as well, but we also encourage you to
buy a book and to start your own home library
because that's very important in terms of supporting our kids
and being their best selves.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It's super important. And to your point, the authors are
so excited to see the folks who are reading their
material to really get to meet them, and I think
that representation for the children to see an author that
also looks like them and who's actually creating this work
is super important as well. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Parreley Night, vice president of Philanthropy and Community Impact at
Wells Fargo, which is the premier sponsor of the African
American Children's Book Fair, the thirty third annual Saturday, February first,
from one to four pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
For more information, what is that number.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
They should call? Two one five eight seven eight book fantastic.
Thank you so much, Lorraine, Thank.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
You you're listening to what's going on. The King Day
of Service is coming up and it is a day on,
not a day off. And joining us is Todd Bernstein.
He's president of Global Citizen and also the founder of
the Philadelphia Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service,
which is an extraordinary day that engages tens of thousands
(09:53):
of people throughout the Delaware Valley. Todd, it is great
to see you and very excited. Twenty twenty five. For
those who are not aware, explain to us what the
King Day of Service is.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Happy New Year, Lorraine, good to always be with you.
The concept of this goes back to nineteighteen eighty six,
and the context is that the King Federal Holiday was
established in nineteen eighty three. It started by federal legislation.
(10:27):
It was started federally in nineteen eighty six, and I
at the time was working with Harris Wofford in the
Casey administration in Harrisburg, and Harris had a very close
and professional relationship with doctor King, having been the liaison
(10:50):
between Doctor King and John Kennedy when he was running
for president in nineteen sixty and was civil rights buzz
or to President Kennedy in the administration before co founding
the Peace Corps with sergeant Driver, so Harris had his
civil rights street cred. We talked late one night in
(11:13):
Harrisburg about how so many people had fought to make
Doctor King's birthday a federal holiday across the nation. Of course,
the question was how do you how do you expand
the opportunities on that day to include every American, not
(11:35):
just those who were supporters of Doctor King, for which
there were, of course tens of thousands and millions. We
discussed the idea of bringing people together to engage in
a sort of a community building process, as neighbors, as organizations,
communities of faith, the public and private sectors to discuss
(11:58):
the needs of the community and to imagine how doctor
King might go about bringing people together to solve them.
And that's how it got started. And we started it
in Philadelphia in nineteen ninety four, So there was a
lag in between the Casey Harrisburg days and when Harris
(12:20):
became a United States Senator and in nineteen ninety four,
teaming up with the civil rights legend John Lewis, who
was a very close friend and colleague of Harris's, and
of course doctor King, and so we started it in
Philadelphia with one thousand volunteers and two point five million
volunteers later, we are celebrating our thirtieth and I think,
(12:45):
as I always say to you in conversation, Lorraine and
anyone else who will listen, this is not just about
a birthday celebration. It's about embracing Doctor King's legacy and
values and making his mission our mission too, not just
one day, but throughout the entire year.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Each year you have a specific theme that you embrace.
It's been reading and education, it's been violence prevention. What
is your theme this year?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Doctor King? You know, back in the nineteen fifties, embrace
the notion of the beloved community, and that is our
overarching theme, where all people work for justice, diversity, piece
and freedom without poverty, hunger or hate. That is a
(13:41):
sort of a guiding light for this year. It's also
the sixtieth anniversary of the nineteen sixty five Voting Rights Act,
so that plays heavily into the day. But you know,
it's up to the tens of thousands of people who
will participate just how they want to kind of strike
(14:01):
a theme, but that is a sort of an overarching
theme for the day.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
There are projects throughout the Delaware Valley, and you mentioned
the number. I guess I have to catch up. How
many volunteers do you expect this year?
Speaker 3 (14:15):
It'll be well over one hundred thousand. How that happens
is that we're sort of a connector. We're not so
much an organizer, a global citizen and the King Day
of Service, so we have a whole volunteer web portal,
So anyone who is interested in participating as an individual
(14:35):
or a group that's looking for an existing project can
go to our website at MLK Day of Service dot org.
I think a more meaningful, perhaps a more sustainable approach
is for an organization of any kind, from whatever sector
to engage in that community building process I referred to.
(14:59):
So it really creates kind of an imprint and ownership
for the particular issue that doctor King cared about, whether
it's education or economic justice, violence, voting rights. You know,
we could go on and on, but that I think
does create more chances for sustainability and continuing the King
(15:24):
Day of Service into the King Year and lifetime of service.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
There is also a signature event that is the largest
probably event that occurs, and it has been traditionally at
Gerard College tell Us more about that.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
We are partnering in particular with Mayor Parker this year,
you may recall, and really just the last month, the
Mayor announced the formation of mini city halls, if you will,
throughout the Philadelphia area in the ten councilmanic districts. They're
(16:02):
the short description is the MONTS Mini City Halls, but
MONT stands for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood and Community Engagement,
and these mini city Halls are meant to make it
easier for constituents to have some of their their issues
and challenges and needs addressed, not by necessarily having to
(16:23):
go into center city to city hall, but go into
the neighborhoods where there are these smaller operations. They're located
mostly in rec centers and schools and churches. So we're
partnering with these mini city halls and creating supplies toiletries,
(16:44):
et cetera, sorting and packing these kits at both at
Gerard College as well as at one of the Mini
city halls, and those will be distributed through the Mini
city Halls in partnership with other community organizations to people
in need who really are struggling and underscoring. Doctor King's
(17:10):
vision of the loved community.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
I'd like to get back to the specifics and the
logistics of people wanting to participate. But before we do that,
I would like to talk about Global Citizen, because the
King Day of Service is a day, but Global Citizen
encourages activism and service.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Three sixty five.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Tell us more about what you do the rest of
the year.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
When I started Global Citizen back in nineteen ninety five,
it was, you know, after working in politics and government
with Paris Wafford, who I mentioned, after being in the
public sector and having Harris and Congressman Lewis having started
the King Day of Service, we sort of launched it
from here as a nonprofit organization, Global Citizen, but also
(17:56):
understood that the Day of Citizens action could become a
year round act kind of an effort if presented, if
presenting to the community other kinds of programs, which include
our what we call our Reading Captains project that works
(18:16):
throughout the city and underserved communities to provide the resources
to families to have young people read independently by grade four.
It uses the sort of traditional block Captain methods in
Philadelphia to engage people in neighborhoods on the grassroots level
(18:36):
who know their blocks and their neighborhoods and the community.
And that is one project we've had focus around working
with corporate partners to know with the notion that our
corporate businesses and whether large or small, really do have
a civic and corporate citizenship response ability to be engaged
(19:01):
in the community because the community supports supports them. So
we work with businesses, particularly sponsors, to either create or
expand employee volunteer programs. We have a quarterly conversations on race, class,
and power that, as you know, Lorraine started back in
two thousand and nine when Harvard Professor Henry Lewis Gates
(19:26):
was arrested on his own doorstep in Cambridge by a
white police sergeant who thought he was breaking into his
own home. That led to a conversation those of the
sergeant and Professor Gates with President Obama and Vice President
Biden at the time. We brought people together to talk
(19:48):
about these key issues both in neighborhoods in our city
and nationwide and taking those kinds of concerns and figuring
out ways to bring folks together and work together and
create ongoing partnerships. Those are a few we focus on
(20:08):
issues of economic justice, which is certainly you know, was
a major focus of Doctor King on food and insecurity
and gun violence prevention. And we are a racial and
social justice organization, So while one might think of, you know,
(20:29):
volunteering as as our focus, it's really about how you
bring people together to build these kinds of relationships and
breakdown barriers, particularly of race and class, through civic engagements,
civic activism, and ongoing partnerships.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah. Well, certainly this is something we need now more
than ever, and that's what I love about the organization,
which in full disclose I am a board member, so
I have to say that, but I have loved supporting
this day and this organization over these many many years.
(21:11):
And for those who are out there who want to
do something, who want to take a day on not
a day off on the King holiday, give us the
specifics of how people can participate.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
It's very easy to go to our website at Mlkdayservice
dot org to find an existing project and they're all
over the region. You can select that opportunity and then
receive information on how to participate. And as I said,
if you're an organization of any kind and want to
(21:45):
organize your own project and accept volunteers from other neighborhoods.
You can do the same and register those Our signature project,
as always for the sixteenth year, now is at historic
Gerard College, where doctor King came in August of nineteen
sixty five to protest and demand change in the admissions
(22:08):
policies of Gerard College, which at the time only accepted
white orphaned boys, and that was a center of the
civil rights movement. It's where we've been for the past
sixteen years and people can also come there. We have
a health and wellness fair organized principally by the Black
(22:29):
Doctors Consortium and Doctor Alis Stanford, with many health organizations
providing information and testing and guidance on a whole range
of issues. Well, maybe I can tell you about a
couple projects in particular we're excited about. We're partnering with
Malcolm Jenkins Foundation. And we all remember Malcolm Jenkins as
(22:52):
a star safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, but perhaps more importantly,
he was a social justice warrior and that came out
particularly when George Floyd was murdered. And the Jenkins Foundation,
which is run by his mother, Gwendolin, who's incredibly Dynamic
(23:13):
is teaming up with National Public Radio and their story
Core project. They have a special initiative called Brightness in Black,
which interviews people amplifying the whole idea that everyone has
a story to tell and everyone's stories matters, and it
really seeks to illuminate the experiences that people have and
(23:38):
working in the community and sharing that with the community.
So we're really excited about that partnership. Also, we are
partnering with an organization known as the Book Trust and
will be handing out three thousand books to children at
Gerard College. You'll be reading stories of doctor King, sharing
(24:01):
their own and putting together literacy kits that will be
donated throughout the city after King Day. So those are
just two examples of some of what's taking place.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
And what's the website. If people want to find out
about these individual projects or want to register their project,
how do they find out more about that?
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Just go to Mlkday of Service dot org and register
your organization or as an individual, and there is a
very easy process of finding a project that you might
be interested in, that has a particular theme or mission
that is important to that person, and also the opportunity
(24:43):
to not only do it on King Day, but perhaps
to do it at other times during the year as well,
which really supports organizations, particularly throughout the city at the
grassroots level, who are always in need of resources and support.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
As we close this interview, I'd like to ask you
to reflect on doctor King's message, particularly in light of
a President elect Trump will be taking office shortly and
we are in the midst of sort of a disruptive
time regarding race, regarding class, regarding so many things that
(25:25):
Doctor King was intimately engaged in addressing the beloved community.
As you talk about, I wonder if you can perhaps
reflect on what you feel doctor King's message, how that
is relevant to the life the world that we live
in now.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
You know, as we do know, and either by coincidence
but an opportunity that the King Federal Holiday and the
inauguration of a new president occur on the same day,
January twentieth, and I think that is given the divisions
that we experience in the world, some of which still
(26:09):
are built on racism and fear of the other, and
given the concerns about what is ahead with the new administration,
I think it's a more critical time than ever really
to commit ourselves to Doctor King's values and principles and
(26:32):
mission and his lasting legacy the cause of justice and
fairness and freedom, all of which serves as an opportunity
to turn a day of community concerns into a life's
lifetime of activism and serving others. So it is both,
I think on January twentieth, a juxtaposition of ideals and
(26:58):
also the opportunity to join forces, find common ground and
work for continue to work for the justice that we
haven't fully achieved, particularly for black and brown people in
the United States.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Todd Bernstein, who was president of Global Citizen and also
the founder of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day
of Service, I'd like to acknowledge you for this extraordinary
effort that you've undertaken over these many decades. As it
began with a thousand people during a very snowy day,
Amazingly people came out for that to now in twenty
(27:36):
twenty five, over one hundred thousand volunteers in service projects
throughout the city the Greater Philadelphia area, plus all of
the projects that are engaging folks in raising our awareness
about our need to be in support of one another,
regardless of race, creed or color and for that we
thank you, Todd Bernstein. Thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I want to acknowledge you, Loraine, for being a social
justice warrior for decades in your own right and using
the platform that you have to be so supportive of
and amplifying the work of community organizations and individuals who
might not ordinarily have that opportunity. And I think it
(28:19):
serves as a way of being contagious so that others
are interested in doing the work that is in the community.
So that's off to you, my friend.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Thank you, Tod. 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
Keywords Philadelphia Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram
at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballardmorrow and I stand for
service to our community and media that empowers. What will
(28:51):
you stand for? You've been listening to what's going on?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Ed?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Thank you a AAA ran
Speaker 3 (29:05):
A s.
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