Our Children, Our Future

My league buds has all the knowledge you want.

My league buds has all the knowledge you need.

My league Buds, yet they have out the books that the whole wild world one up read Malague Buds.

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malik's.

Bookshelf, bringing a world together with books, culture and community.

Ho my name is Malik, your host of Malik's Bookshelf.

WHOA wait?

This has been an explosive weekend going into my birthday March fourth. As a matter of fact, I skipped last week.

I got sick.

But I'm back.

I'm stocked and I'm loaded with great content.

But let me tell you this, this week I gave my strength. I was back at one hundred and we hosted several events. One at Adam's lam Mentory, a book fair where I went out and I was able to talk for just a few minutes with all the students because they was curating a Black history celebration with drummers and dancers. So I got a chance just to introduce malikue in myself and our book fair and what we do.

So I'm going to feature that.

Little two minute segment because I think that it's inspirational.

But outside of that.

We also hosted Black Children Book Week at Malik Books and that was incredible. We brought in, I'm not gonna say brought in, but we helped host in partnership with CJ. Charles and six other black women children authors, a event called the Black Children Book Week at Malie Books on March second, and each author did a story time as well as a book signing, and the community.

Came out and we rocked it.

It was electric, it was explosive, it was engaging, it was phenomenal. It's always a pleasure when we target the youth, the young and our children because they our voice, they are our future.

And I got a chance to.

Do a podcast right on the spot with all seven to talk about that book.

So I want to feature that podcast in the store that we took.

We that we did while they while we hosted the Black Children Book Week. So this was a phenomenal week. Let me tell you something. We had community.

Going all week long.

That you know, we had other events.

We had another event that we were the book official book represented for Anita Phillips who wrote a book called The Garden Within.

I didn't get a chance because I, hey, my wife had to go over there.

And she had to host that event.

I had to host the Black Children book we at at Malik Books at the Westfield Coover City Mall, and my wife had to go to West Angeles to host the book signing and be there for the Garden within at with the Need of Philip and conversation with the first Lady at West Angeles. And that was just on Saturday,

All sang in.

Unity with the preschool that's at the hospital and they call it the Taste of Soul where they offer different food curations from Black history, African, Jamaican, Caribbean, American, you know. So that was really nice and that was really positive to be able to be in that space and celebrate our culture, you know, and that's what Black History month is all about.

Even though Black History is thrown the sixty.

Five days year, it's just taking time out to give thanks an honor to now. You know, it's more than just talking about slavery. It's about our contributions as to American into the world. That's what typically now what Black history is all about. Now, it's evolved because we evolved.

And no critical race theory is gonna change that stop that.

We're gonna tell our stories, tell our voices, elevate our stories. You know, our children. You know, it's our future. And that's what this segment or episode is all about. You know, our children. It's our future. And I went to the school at Adams Elementary out Long Beach and we hosted a book fair and got a chance to inspire some of the kids cause readers are leaders and leaders are readers right read to achieve.

That's what I told them. I was a message and.

Did the Black Children Book Week at Malik Boys and also I went to Pilgrimage and it's an honor.

Look, Malik has been invited to a lot of events. It getting paid to speak my.

Heart, getting paid to talk about something that's near and dear.

I had I got paid three different honorariums. This week. I went to.

Elementary Downtown also on Monday, I had two speaking engages on Monday. I went and started off on Monday, I believe that's the twenty seventh February, and talked about at Pilgrim Elementary, we had this first time I've met in person all the black bookstores in Los Angeles or surrounding, right, So they brought us in to talk about black books, black bookstore and our resilience, and they brought all of us together this first time.

I got a chance to meet some of the owners. I knew of them.

We follow each other occasionally we DM each other, but in this case, I was got a chance to meet Nikki from Octavia booksheved in Pasadena, Ache from Salt Eaters in Inglewood, and Jazzy from rever Rations Club just in Los Angeles.

So we all got a.

Chance to meet and talk and have a conversation with all the students about black Books. Our Story as and I believe that's what it was called. I did a podcast on the same title, Our Story.

Our Voices, That's Crazy and my last matter of fact, that was my last episode. I did Our Story, Our voices.

Guess what that was the title of this particular segment.

So you know, Malik do what he always do.

You know, he dropped you know, his insight, you know, my experience and so forth. And I enjoyed it talking being in a panel me in April. We got a chance to talk and share our story and it was wonderful this first time I think me and April was in a panel together. So I enjoyed that and along with the other bookstore so we did that and that was really nice, and you know, we excited the kids and the students there. I was wonderful for wonderful, wonderful,

They do great work.

They try to solve the homeless. They try to bring effect endeavors in education and.

Social justice and so forth.

And if I'm not gonna say, it was a care foundation downtown in Los Angeles.

And so they brought us in. They have a Black history panel, they fed us, paid us.

I got another art aron, so but that was a great panel and a great discussion about black futurism, all right, about Los Angeles Black.

To the Future.

That's what that was called Black to the Future, and I want to feature that on the segment, but I'm not sure because of the time, but so I might say that for a latter day.

But I just wanted to share.

The community outreach in the community events that I was blessed to be a part of that is and speak and so that one was Black Black to the Future, and we just talked about Los Angeles now and what we can expect in the future. And so I want to share my thoughts and what I had to say on that. But I don't think that I'm gonna share that on this particular episode because of the fact that this.

It might make this one too long. So let me say that one for late Black to the Future. Let me say that for later Black to the Future.

Let me say that for later Black to the Future, let me say that for later.

You know, I'm feeling good.

You can feel a vibe, you can feel the energy, you can feel the soul right now.

And I'm hot. I'm hot, and I'm hot.

So thank you, thank you, and enjoy this episode, our children, our future.

History in mind.

Today a special tree for you guys. We have a lead bookst bookstore up here and he's an independent after American business and he would like to come tell you about his bookstore.

Thank you, Miss Brown.

Well, well, well, we got a beautiful day to put on a book fair, don't you, and a clack.

History of it. You need to thank your school you're organizing this. Give it them around the poor break got to be here today.

I'm the lead.

This is same bro, and we are the owners of Lafe Books. So we're going to host a book fair today.

Now we got two locations in Los Angeles, one in the Bone Hills Creacial Mare and one in Coba City Westfield Mall Westfield Cova City Mall.

So we got two stores, all right, So fank you out to our soul. But today we're gonna give you a taste of what we gotta.

Elite books because look, as you can see right behind us, we stopped and loaded with books.

Our specialty is African American and diversity of books.

You know why because children are one percent of our future.

You're the future leaders.

Everything that these teachers do, everything that we do is for you.

You know why, because we got a pastor touch to you.

And you know, books is a major part of your development.

So that's why we do what we do with books. And we want you to see yourself.

In these books so that you can love yourself in these books.

Because readers are leaders, and readers are readers.

You got to read to achieve.

I'm excited about the Black History of Bites is gonna take place today and I just pray forul and thankful and your school invited us to come out here and be with you today and so want you all.

To come over after the event. The Black History event. Come and see what we have in store for you. Don't bring some money too, because he's selling the books. All right, thank you, thank you, thank you. All right over, let's get a big record flood.

I love the boy is strong and courageous.

This was a wonderful conversation that took place at Pilgrim's Elementary where four black independent bookstore owners were on set. Me and April with their Malik books representing and three of the bookstores. And this is just excerts. The conversation is just too long.

The aria.

I think I might air the entire conversation at another time, but on this particular episode, I just pulled out the excerpts when we got an opportunity to speak from the questions that was asked. So and enjoy this conversation because it's just my insight to our children, our voices.

I lead books.

I'm glad Sun was couse and last.

All rights and I recalled books.

The question that was asked, were any of us published as bookstore owners?

UH collaborated well called The Horror Black Man, The Story of Trying until We All Time. My chap was called from delstation to Delemas and I talked about my childhood growing up just like y'all growing up in a o come our schools and things.

They come across a long way as become Adulf.

But Halloween still win regardless.

Of what cards you're building back and so I'm.

Very proud of eventually will have grown that chapel into a full on bull.

So you know I'm.

Also ultimate city.

All y'all gonna write is right now if y'all have a sell all.

I know y'all testing.

All and probably all tet you all.

This question is regarding what inspired me to become a books story on.

Her she took the back you saying I started reading this, you know when my journey, you know I had agree with usc Black age seventh when I graduated, or one thing I didn't have.

I didn't have a knowledge of symbol. I didn't have a good view of my symbol.

I didn't think of myself.

And all my ancestors in the positive man.

That was my inspiration for open up the late books because the books playing a difference.

When I read, I began.

To see a different world in a different perspect than what I learned from college. And things today that you might know, I didn't know my add seln when I graduated with Let's See. So my inspiration was to give voice or voices and to allow our voice to be heard.

So I all know the books a world because.

Since in nineteen ninety with the belief that if Boots had changed my life.

I feel it didn't change my community side. And anything you want to from you fine, And it's kind of they.

Got to get strolled with our stories, our voices.

You know, our course matters and our stories matters.

And we all have bookstores because a lot of these schools for a long time.

Wasn't in main stream boot stores.

And these moved for hard and five and so we opened up the space to provide our opportunity to talk about our culture, my.

Issue, our people get voice to the voises.

And so that was my whole mission while I opened up Believe Books in nineteen nineteen ninety. Now before that, in eighty four, so I ran an olympicated strong Olympia. I ran the nineteen eighty four of them games and collegself and I ran.

In one hundred minutes two hundred mine.

I also was a mortgage and saw so I helped people by a real estate because.

It's home to the babies, investment that you will find it you wanna play most most of y'all in the body, but a medal pars and that's why need That's what team won. And as a result, he showed me something to question. And so just like I told you, he went to that's what I looked at.

That support and I've got four hundred dollars on the boots because I didn't know things yet.

I had to begreefing for college.

So everything you find in school you still learn your own and Bootsto is a place you can go and learn whatever you want to know and whatever you want to be you find in a bull.

Now I'm gonna passed this night to my wife because anything you want to do is run by the soccer fights and all of us laying soccrifics do what we do.

And it hasn't been always a time and ourtunity where in our communities which are undeserved, our people would just walked out with Paige not Lisp. But it didn't discourage us from making a difference.

And still here every day I was there.

There's nobody being in that story that time and because what night issue is a wow all.

This is something you'll find out that along. But whatever you do in life and when you finds a sacrifice, nothing.

Is done in an issue.

Nothing is game or at night. You going to score from the time you five to your eighteen, and then you gotta design if you wanna go, compete and continue your education. If you're not going to get sweet, you wanna go unless.

You make sicri fights.

Lets you work hard, lets you study. Let's for me you can be read to achieve. But I don't want let me quite tell you about her sacrifice.

How does do this talk about these sacrifice in your career. I'm a nurse fighter, and I see him have and treating you that. I said, Wow, you get up every day and nobody's coming to the store.

I get up every day and work so hard.

Her and everybody's there because they have no choice to be there. So I said to myself, well, during the pandemic, I said, you know, I'm going to work to say that anyone else, but I'm coming home almost destroying my own family because of the pandemic. So I told my husband, I said, i'm'a make a sacrifice and i'm'a go calling you blindly with this book store.

And I'm so grateful today that I.

That I done that, and because we have two small children that see me sacrifice a career that's not easy to achieve, but I sacrifice that I'd loved and loved blindly for him and my daughter during the pandemic.

She's a reader, and she's a a visual reader. She I see her. She sits at her desk or wherever she has a book. Wherever she goes, she has a book. She's smiling and doing things. I'm like, Jordan, what are you doing?

She said, I'm reading, And she could tell me what she is reading and I can see it. So I said, I have to do something so independent that you've read seventy books. Seventy books, and I said, this is amazing.

This is what I'm supposed to be doing.

So with that sacrifice, I did leave.

Nursing and I have been doing this ever since.

So that is a great, big sacrifice.

So Ever, so you're really to hear her how books are really.

At the center of her knowledge.

And if you all take anything from this animal today read re me, you're able to enter into a wholy world with the morelos.

Stevy read Oh Okay. This question is specifically for Lead in April of Leading.

Books, and it says, you see, you didn't consider yourselves to be both actress.

What legend to decide to use books specifically as a form.

Of action or something. Yeah, I feel that her move happeness.

And it's because being in this business for like thirty years, I've watched she was no age wrong become adults. I've watched people my age when I started to come to see the citizens and they they come back to.

The store, they cry, they tell us same you they.

Catch the only os without answering this store.

And I realized empime over these thirty years and will submaying and lot and how it encouraged them in many different ways, inspired them and motivating them by through.

Reading the Bull and be happy to just be an issue and being in position to be on the open and they'll come in and then offer that.

Space for them to see because we.

Talk about characters in books and one of the those support ways of the Bull is to see yourself because the birth lady a little more the it's sure and when you don't see yourself, you saw fifteen pieces and I is a boiler.

How you do yourself as impoil, how you see yourself as ampoiler?

And books you can see yourself. You can read about yourself and you can beat yourself.

But the most important thing.

When you read a food is that you gotta find love for yourself. And that straying poie because in our comunity sometimes we've noted.

That because we don't see representations, we don't see ourselves.

Ashmans describe love children books because.

It illustrations are so few the book, because it's the affection of the person in the characters of the.

Book, and those people in that book sometimes look like you.

Or when I grew up, I have that books and look like me.

This is a new dynamic that consistent in Maria Will. You can walk in the store and see so many books reading and images of cutting people. How you grow up with that? Y'all growing up with that?

And we hope that maybe a.

Difference in your like because you got to love yourself to beat yourself, and that's how you be success one in the world. So characters matter in these books. How you see yourself matter these bulls because you.

Don't wanna be alienated all on the side not loving yourself, not seeing yourself, not having friends.

So that's what that's why I became coin that term both activities because of the work we've been able to do in the last thirty years, says the ad.

So I want to see the ride.

I was one final batch four Brandy and it's ques shit, says Why is a little in mid All house? I don't remember. Little Blant is not ex father and it's about the brother and sisters. Little is the Orcys that lions line her brother, the stats, it's.

About all.

It's about all the taxes, relationships. Little I will sat here so teens, it's not elite us and.

Yeah that's.

Welcome.

Last welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malie's Books.

You'll bringing the world together with books, culture and community.

Well, the day was incredible because we hosted the Black Children Book were right here at Malieue Books.

But this is my podcast and what I want, I'm my audience to know all about this moment, this day and what this stands for.

So we got seven beautiful black woman children's author I ain't forget about you. What the brown is the black tooth, it's original. Welcome.

We had a wonderful day. People came in and out all day. This was electric. Everybody spoke their.

Storytelling and right now I'm gonna let them tell a story about that book on the podcast.

So we're gonna go right down the line.

Well, my sister, no one can tell you about your book better than you.

So you know what my sister I'm gonna bring. She wrote the book, My beautiful Son. I don't get no names on. I'm gonna let them introduce their name. We gonna go down starting.

On my right.

My name is Mada j'alla, and I'm the author of My Beautiful Silence, and it's a story about a mother's love for au sile. It's a love letter my meant to stay.

Young and youthful, and it's just to remind them that, regardless of how the world will.

See them later on, there's still beautiful soul side. And they added bonuses that I donate ninety percent, I might proceed to.

Social justice process ninety percent. Yes, sir, what you can't eat on ten percent, I can.

But there are bigger problems than my eating.

You heard it straight from the author. Next, come on, Hello cocoas right.

My glafen right, I am the author of Hello Cocoa. SuDS songs and Aunt Fancy Salad and my book help from a beautiful story with my niece in which we cooked together. And so the themes are healthy families.

Healthy food, and healthy hand washing.

And the added bonus is there is a song about hand washing in the book to help your little one to learn how to wash their hands as they cook and help around.

The house as well.

Shit, I know, grown men don't wash their hand.

You know, that's one thing out of coat we learned Washington hands keeps some Germans or what cause the cup.

We shouldn't have to wait.

For a pandemic to do some basic sanitizing and you know, and that's a culture and humanitarian thing, just a wash yo, pay.

Now, ain't you think that?

Hi?

My name is Alexis Mozelle and my children's book is I Know I can.

And the inspiration behind my book is my son uh Amir. He's actually the main character.

And my book spot likes.

Different African American math careers.

That paved the way for you'll black boys to be whatever.

It is they wanted to peach bingo bingo. Well, you know, I know I can't. That's important, you know why because many of us don't believe we do nothing.

And it starts with how we look.

We don't like a lot of us, some of us.

I know I did when I came out of cop You don't miss the reason why I opened up mine to.

Book M because I didn't have a knowledge hel I had a degree, M, but I ain't have a knowledge yourself.

I didn't.

Black people achieved so much incredible things around the world.

Black history is world history, and I just didn't know that coming out of a college. I had a degree, but I didn't have knowledge yourself. So that's what my motivation for old women.

So you gotta know I can and I use.

Barack Obama m as an inspiration for youth and young why because you know, we didn't.

Think he was going but he you know, we hoped he won and so but he shout at the impossibility. You know what I'm saying.

I'm saying that that's the to me, it ain't about the policy, but it's the fact that he what he done, shot at the impossible. And so when I hear little kids and dogs say they can't do I said, no, you can't do, because we have we have somebody that you know you did and he want, and so put your mind, put your soul, put your heart into whatever you wanna be, because I know I can't.

My name is Krista Hawkins. I'm the co founder of Black Girl, Brown Girl Buds, and the brown Girl that here is here today is Inger Estrata Darling, our children's book publishing company, is designed solely to increase in representation of black and brown characters.

Research shows that you're more likely to see.

A white character, a car, or an animal before you see a black or brown character, so we're intentional about changing that. Our books are designed for kids zero to eight because by eight years old, ninety percent of your adult brain is developed, and so you're really learning to navigate the world around you and get a sense of self. Our books are bilingual English Spanish, so our babies can have access to dual language books to strengthen them.

And all that they'll do.

We have two books.

Our Los Angeles is our two main characters, Crystal and Lazette. They take you on a tour around LA highlighting some really great places. We run by the Marathon Store, shout out to nip We go to Randy Donut, to Watts Towers, a lot of times when our babies look in books, they don't see their communities. You're more likely to see

Go ahead, go ahead, but I mean him thinking, I'm like Span, it's sunning at lession.

Those linguages.

I think that means what?

Thank you?

So this is this is wonderful, wonderful.

You know, board books are very special, uh you know, for the especially for the youngsters, and you know, cause they like the terror pages and picture books don't work for them, so they can give them these books.

So this is wonderful. What your achievement and what you brought for this rich culture out here in Los Angeles. So thank you for your contribution. All right, who we got next?

Okay, hello everyone.

My name is Tyoni Patterson. I'm the author of the Tamiya T. Scott series. My children's books are for kids birth to seven years old and they teach vocabulary and sentences. It's important that our kids see themselves in children's books. They need to see their hair, their skin, their culture, and vice versas. It's important for the world to see our children and children's books as well. We're all culturally different and it gives us the opportunity to learn about each other's culture.

So yeah, that's right.

Wow, wow, wow, you know I I I enjoyed the interaction today that you have with the with with the kids and whatnot.

You have a.

Powerful voice and a strong authoritary.

Command.

You know the room all right, and that's what you need when firsially you deal with them youngsters. Yeah, you gotta take control, you know. We gotta guide them, you know, to elevate them. We gotta get them to listen. And they don't want you know, they got their own way.

Think anything else you would like to say about this beautiful book.

Just support me, uh my, you guys. I have a website at ww dot t me at T Scott series dot com. And thanks you so much Molak for this amazing platform and all allowing us to enter your space in your community and just sharing our books with you guys in your community as well.

Sokay, thank you, thank you.

Thank alright, alright, next, a day out of you know, a day out with Kennedy?

Yes?

Is that what a little girl going on on today?

You know?

I you know, uh my my baby sixteen and she still came down, come on over to the set. So my name is Jason Phillips.

And so this book I like it so much because it represents a black family with a father and a home.

And so that's good for us to see that in this book, to see a healthy family and that's their home and they're happy. That's a good representation. So that was the whole full well, you know, it all starts at the home.

Yes, they don't start at the school, and don't start in the streets, and start.

Right there at the home.

And we need to make sure that we're something and the foundation is right at home if we are to make a difference in how you young?

Yeah, y, you got it? What about five books though? Yes? Yeah, yeah, yeah, so that's what and I one. I'm still well. I got one from Devastation to Elevation. It's a chapter.

Maybe one day I'll have a future book out of of my chapter. But yeah, but you know five books, you know.

Are you writing in your sleep?

Yeah?

Yeah, illust for an artist and a writer. Give it up for myself? No, no, no, Now. CJ. Charles is coming up. You know, she's instrumental in helping plan this entire event, Black Children Book Week. She approached me, the host to hear that malite books. I'm honor, so we say the best for last, no knock on the other. We love them all, but but uh, let's give.

It up for yes.

Charles, I'm the author. My mother is a superhero and Miss April's a superhero all right by Lingual books. Our books are aimed to help children to learn to appreciate the superheroes and their lives on a daily basis, those caring adults who love them and take care of them.

We want to get our.

Kids back to being appreciative and caring and loving. Uh so they going into the world to be.

Awesome human beings.

But I wanna thank everyone behind me, all these ladies, helped me playing black children's book with mo with Malik, we couldn't do anything without him and April, So we wanna think everybody who came out today support us next year too.

This is the first and many, many, many years of.

Celebrating black books in Los Angeles.

So thank you so much, you walking, you welker, y'all, y'all allys many y'all made the show.

You know.

I'm just thankful I can host it, you know, and y'all put it in the real work. This first time. I didn't have to hold do a whole lot. So I'm thankful and thankful. We gonna do many more and I appreciate y'all. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope my autists enjoyed that. I was wonderful. These are also published authors. If they can do it, you can do it. So if you got something to write, you got something to say, put it in a book.

Let's get it published. Get in touch with them, cause they tell you I get put Thank you, thank you, thank you, yes, yes, yes.

Please special thank you to all of the sponsors who contributed to this event. We really appreciate you guys.

That's right.

And be the.

Bookstore catering and AM Catering and Contact Logistics.

If we never want to forget our sponsors, you know, because with them that's what makes our be successful. To appreciate the shout out for them. We want to make sure that shout out, though, is loud and clear, because they gave some money. So let's come somebody, stand right here, give.

All four or five?

Right, they know that all their names and listen, come on, come on, we want to make sure we give them, yes, come right here. We want to support them sponsors, all right.

So AM Catering.

And whoo.

Cafe?

Who all right?

All right, So let's give it up for the authors put on this wonderful black soldier.

I knew they had finished it up.

All right.

Thanks for listening to Malik's Bookshelf, where topics on the shelf are books, culture, and community.

Be sure to subscribe and leave me a review. Check out my instagram at Malak Books. See you next time,