"I Don't Know . . .I'm Just Black. . . and One-Fourth Cherokee."

New York, NY (BlackNews.com) - If you were going to teach your children about their story, their history, where would you begin? Would you start with the spellbinding and nose-scrunching tale of the 20 hours you spent with them in labor? Or, would you begin as far back as you've been able to trace on your own family tree? Perhaps, you'd even go as far as connecting their ancestral heritage? Thanks to the internet, libraries, and an abundance of cultural centers, you would have a wealth of information at your disposal. However, how much of it would be suitable for your young child? And how much would relay a story that you could feel good about sharing?

"Raising children is not the easiest thing to do," says community activist Dan Tres Omi, father of four, "and raising children of African descent just adds more weight. Issues such as slavery, Jim Crow, and race just compound the confusion that also comes along with puberty, crushes, rules, chores, and safety."

"Cultural identity builds self-esteem, but simply being taught about the enslavement of your forefathers does not. You want your child to learn of a history that they feel proud about," says Nehprii Amenii, author and illustrator of Memories of the Little Elephant, a children's book that is reshaping the future tellings of African history.

All parents are in need of teaching tools that compliment their efforts to nurture the healthiest development of their child. Memories of the Little Elephant is told through the vantage point of a young girl who remembers her life all the way back to the beginning of time. The story opens with "In the beginning my body was created to house my spirit." From there the main character, Abii, covers centuries of time, from the populating of Earth via the movement of her family around the globe, to the building of Ancient Egypt, to her travels to West Africa all before her tragic movement into the Americas, as though giving an account of one day. Abii's telling of her family's story leaves much for parents and children to talk about, from dreams, to the night time sky, and African traditions, long before landing on the topic of enslavement.
As an educator, Amenii states, "There is nothing more defeating to a child's confidence than having to sit in a room full of other children who can give a clear break down of their 'Irish, German, Italian and Swedish' heritages, while all your child can mumble is. . . 'I'm black?' Or, to make it sound more official, maybe they'll throw in '. . . and I'm one-forth Cherokee, on my mother's side. . .'"

We've seen countless books, and exhibits that depict the terrible period of African enslavement, and the struggles through emancipation. Yet, rarely do we see stories and images that link that history to an ancient place of brilliance, beauty, intellect and pride. Amenii, reflecting on her own childhood, added, "I didn't even know that Egypt was in Africa, let alone, that it was my own history. For me, Egypt was some far away land of fanciful myths. It had nothing to do with medicine, mathematics, law, physics, astronomy, engineering, world scholars, or literacy. And, it definitely had nothing to do with black people."

Memories of the Little Elephant has just been chosen as the primary text of the Alvin Ailey's 2008 youth-empowering summer program, CAS/AileyCamp. One hundred of New York's inner city youth will have the opportunity to spend six weeks creatively immersed in self-esteem building artistry, from puppetry to book-making, based on Memories of the Little Elephant, and instructed by the author. Amparo Santiago, Director of Manhattan CAS/AileyCamp says, "It's good to know that from here on our children will have such a book. There was nothing like this for my own generation."

Perhaps as you take your child through their family tree, and tell them about how they get their height from their Uncle Fred, next time you hang their scribbles on the refrigerator door, you'll tell them how their great, great, great, great, grand parents taught the world that art of writing!


Nehprii Amenii has been studying African philosophy, art, and been directly involved in community building for the past decade. Eight of which she as spent as an educator. She currently teaches within New York City public schools, where she gets to witness firsthand the role that cultural awareness, or the lack thereof, plays in self-image. She also shares her passions, with Alvin Ailey American Dance Foundation's Arts in Education Department creatively teaching cultural identity, and life values to inner city adolescents. To learn more about the link between cultural awareness, positive self imagery, and academic achievement visit: home


CONTACT:
Nehprii Amenii
Khunumproductions@gmail.com
718-924-8779

BlackNews.com - "I Don't Know . . .I'm Just Black. . . and One-Fourth Cherokee."