As a new war lurches to disrupt and destroy lives, I find myself filled with sadness, and anger, and determination.

Sadness, that after so many wars, so much violence, we human beings are still doing the same incredibly selfish shit, like invading a neighboring country because the leader of Russia wants to.

Anger, that the toxic masculinity of leaders like Putin and our own recent president who ruined the word “trump” as a verb, get to these positions of power in the first place. Maybe we should stop letting men be in charge. Women to lead every country! In 1915 Jane Addams organized a women’s peace conference for 3,000 people. At it, she said:

“I do not assert that women are better than men… but we would all admit that there are things about which women are more sensitive than men, and one of these is the treasuring of life.”*

Actually, I do think that makes women better than men, if we’re doing that ‘sweeping generalities’ thing.

Determination, that words and stories can help. Maybe it’s playing the long-game, reaching kids and their adults today to make tomorrow better… And so, I’m excited to be part of a panel of fellow picture book creators presenting at the California Teachers Association’s 2022 Equity and Human Rights Conference this upcoming weekend. We’re going to talk about picture books and POWER. I’m particularly excited to discuss and recommend picture books to challenge gender stereotypes, picture books to explore different bodies and genders and pronouns, picture books to discuss different types of families (including those with two dads or two moms), and even dive into picture books that celebrate love and crushes of the non-hetero variety. Picture books can be empowering, and can transform hearts and minds… I’m excited to be part of the conversation with Zeena M. Pliska, Benson Shum, Sharon E. Langley, and Andrea J. Loney!

If you’re a teacher who’ll be at the conference, please say ‘hi!’

Thanks for letting me share. The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

*You can read more about Jane Addams and her loving another woman, Mary Rozet Smith, in Rodger Streitmatter’s “Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples.” (Boston: Beacon Press, 2012.) This quote is from page 40.