WELCOME TO . . .
SANKOFA KONVERSATIONS: Empowering the Next Generation of Black Women Warriors!
Join me once or twice per month for engaging narratives for and about Black girls and other girls and young women of color. You'll hear from me, as well as my reviews of important empowerment information by others. For the next few months I will introduce books and authors whose stories/work focus on Black girls and other girls and young women of color. I'm excited to help you and the girl(s) in your life build a purposeful and powerful READING LIST & LIFE!
AUGUST 1 –
BLOG TITLE: Teach a Girl to Read & She Will Change the World!
Reading is a great way for Black girls and young women to prepare for their futures. The month of August will be chock full of great books for Black girls and other girls of color. Send me some of your favorites so I can add them to my GOT IT GOIN' ON® SUGGESTED READING LIST FOR BLACK GIRLS.
As far back as slavery, reading (literacy) was a gateway to knowledge and possible freedom (although illegal for most enslaved individuals), as well as a threat to the institution of slavery and the slave owner’s financial investment. Today, reading can unlock opportunities to an amazing future and provide powerful imagination to make your dreams come true. When girls use reading as a tool (one of the tools in the GOT IT GOIN’ ON-II: Power Tools for Girls! Toolkit), they are preparing themselves to become the NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN WARRIORS! With teens interested in all things digital (e-books and online articles), it’s going to take inspiration and targeted strategies to encourage teen girls to read for pleasure. As it turns out, there are benefits to reading books and other long form articles every day. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing about why reading is so beneficial, along with providing a suggested READING LIST of positive, purposeful authors, for Black girls and other girls and young women of color.
So why is reading so important for teen girls (all teens)? Here are several benefits for reading for teens:
1. Reading improves mental health: Studies show that reading can help keep your brain active and possible avoid (or delay) Alzheimer’s and dementia.
2. Reading reduces stress: Reading can transport you to another place, helping to take your mind off stressful situations and/or trauma going on in your life. Getting lost in a book a great for relaxation.
3. Reading expands general knowledge: Reading helps you become a well-rounded individual who can carry on a conversation about various topics. The more well-read you are, the more likely you are to be able to handle some of life’s challenging issues.
4. Reading helps you become more empathetic: Books and other long-form articles allow us to investigate the lives of others who live and think differently than we do. Reading can take us out of our own environments and show us other realities.
Check out www.IDEAPOD.com – 15 Incredible Benefits from Reading Every Day, by Justin Brown, for more benefits of reading.
“When teens read more than just their classroom assignments, research clearly shows that they generally do well in school. First, the extra reading expands their vocabularies. It also shows them how different writers put down their thoughts leading to better writing skills.” – www.FamilyEducation.com/teens.
Stop by on August 15 for the AUGUST BOOK REVIEW of BLACK GIRL UNLIMITED: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard, by Echo Brown.
Be kind to yourself and others, and until we meet again, always remember to –
“Speak LIFE to Black Girls & Other Girls of Color . . . For They Become What You Tell Them!”