Bread & Reading

Reflecting on more legacies

Good morning bread friends,

This past week I had the joy of participating in the Read Your Heart Out program at MMSD.

I’ve been doing this for several years now. I get a lot of joy from visiting classrooms, reading stories, and getting to spend time with students in the district. There was one year, when I was running for office, that I accepted invitations to visit classrooms all over the city. That was a whirlwind, but a super energizing couple of days.

For the past several years, one of the highlights of my year has been simply visiting my own kid’s classroom and getting to hang out for a half hour and read my heart out.

This time it really made my day when Cyrus ran up and greeted me with the biggest hug when he saw me in the classroom. He was wearing one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on him, and I like to imagine he was thinking, “That’s my dad!”

Anyway… This year I brought a stack of books with me. I didn’t read from all of them, but I wanted to take the opportunity to expand students’ horizons a bit.

When kids think of Black History Month, I think there are a few familiar names that understandably come to mind.

My aim was to highlight that the breadth of Black leadership, authorship, and creativity goes well beyond the usual names in the history books.

When I sat down I read a poem from my old high school classmate, Harold Green III, who today is an acclaimed spoken word artist, poet, and public speaker.

I also shared with them a story of a young Madison actor who published his own book, an award-winning UW-Madison PhD who has won national awards for her comics, and a Super Bowl champion turned children’s author and Disney show creator.

I happen to know these folks… but the point I was hoping to make was that there isn’t one lane for Black accomplishments.

With the recent passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson, I find myself reflecting on the Black civic leaders that tend to get lifted up at things like Read Your Heart Out.

Again… there are a few Black political figures that understandably come up right away when curriculums are quickly built for Black History Month. But there are a number of Black politicians and civic leaders who put themselves forward to serve their neighbors WAY before the country was “ready” to honor their service.

Growing up in Chicago, I knew Jesse Jackson’s story. He felt like part of the city’s story. It wasn’t unfamiliar to hear his name or see him on TV. He was one of those titans of public life who expanded what seemed politically possible.

But I haven’t lived in Chicago for over 20 years now… and I find myself thinking… if we don’t intentionally tell these stories, then they slowly drift out of conscious conversations.

I already hear young people talk about Barack and Michelle Obama as if they are distant relics of American history.

But long before there was a Barack & Michelle, there was a Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and Carol Moseley Braun. These folks stretched the imagination of our nation.

I guess I’m just thinking ahead about what stack of books I’ll bring next year. As long as I’m invited into my kids’ classrooms for Read Your Heart Out, I want to keep widening young people’s horizons. And next year I think honoring the names and stories of these trailblazers feels like a worthwhile priority.

Anyway… no English muffins this week, but bread is available to pre-order right now.

And reminder that we’re donating 100% of our profits this month to Black Voters Matter.

Thanks for being here 😎

I appreciate you.

Mo
baker