When We Say Black Lives Matter; Maxine Benaba Clarke

With the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ becoming commonplace in everyday life it is important that young children are educated on what people are actually going on about.

It is on the news, it is in the papers and it is all over social media. People have been marching on the streets, they have been protesting outside parliament buildings and sports stars ‘take the knee’. There’s even a Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington DC, USA. The Black Lives Matter civil rights movement is gaining momentum like never before but what does it all mean…

In this timely and important book, Maxine Benaba Clarke breaks down the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement and makes the subject accessible to young readers. Benaba Clarkes uses the voices of the parents of a black child to explain what it means when we say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The voices are shouting, whispering, sobbing and bellowing that black people are wonderful, are strong and deserve respect. That they deserve to be treated equally and should be proud of who they are. Historical issues, present challenges and hopes for the future are all explored.

The narrators encourage readers to play their part, to not watch on silently but to make their voices heard and to fight against those who continue to treat black people unfairly. That the shouting and protesting cannot stop until there is change. The message, the time for change is now and people should not be silenced by fear. 

Told in lyrical rhyming prose and with evocative artwork portraying the hopes for the future and how the past has done black people wrong, readers will come away with not only the knowledge behind the movement but also the feeling that they too can make a difference.

A book that belongs on the shelves of all classrooms. A beautiful, necessary and inspiring read.

Recommended for 5+.