Fred Hampton said that.Last night I dreamed about Fred Hampton, and then I dreamed about blogging about Fred Hampton, and although I'm not sure why, why today, it was with me when I woke up, this idea that I had to post at least something short about this young man who was assassinated some 40 years ago by the Chicago police in cahoots with the FBI's COINTELPRO drive to destroy the Black Panther Party.
He was a revolutionary. He was a brilliant leader. He was murdered in his bed as he slept.
Earlier this month on her blog Fledgeling, author Zetta Elliott ran a series of posts, including an interview with the writer, about the book One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. This is a Young Adult book; the protagonists are three young Black girls whose parents are in the Panthers, and the story focuses on what that experience was like, seen through the children's eyes. It sounds interesting. I'd like to read it.
I know nothing about YA or children's literature. It's terribly important, though, isn't it, and so I feel like I can't go on much longer just reciting like a numbskull 'I know nothing about it'--I need to get on the stick, do some reading, learn something about it, read some of it. I've been getting more motivated by visiting Ms. Elliott's blog, which has become one of my favorites. She takes on crucial issues about books for young people as well as other matters literary, artistic and cultural.
