“You don’t choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be and how you ought to think.”
~Grace Lee Boggs
Fall is a time for reimagining. Leaves that once umbrellaed our heads now blanket our feet. Our surroundings shift from green to a gradient of red, orange, and yellow.
Fall shows us that transformation is not only possible, but inevitable. Our current experience won’t last forever. We have the power to create change that brings new colors into our world.
This newsletter is about revolution, inspired by upcoming picture book Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs by Sun Yung Shin and Mélina Mangal. This book reflects on the power of love to spark a reimagining of the world we live in. To set a new season into motion. To stomp so powerfully, it brings the leaves to our feet.
Read for resources that help people of all ages start revolutions made of love. ❤️
AmazeWorks and the Loft invite you to a book launch for Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs. ❤️ Join us for this free event to welcome this inspiring picture book into the world.
In the book, authors Sun Yung Shin and Mélina Mangal bring the legacy of activists James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs to life. This story shares their lifelong partnership and activism for civil rights, fair housing, labor, food justice, urban gardens, and more.
Paired poems by Sun Yung Shin and Mélina Mangal highlight key moments in the lives of these revolutionary activists, accompanied by vibrant paintings by Leslie Barlow.
James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs were strong independently, and even stronger together. This book inspires reimagining, showing us the capacity for change and encouraging revolutions made of love. ❤️
One poem, “Revolution,” reads:
“Grace believed that
revolution
meant
re-evolution
from the ground up
everyday people stepping up
to help each other…”
All ages can spark revolutions of love. Taking action can be small—we don’t have to take on the world to make meaningful change. Change can start with mindfulness and thinking before we speak or act, or inviting someone new to lunch, or telling someone that their joke is offensive and asking them not to tell it again.
For students, taking action can mean creating an inclusive school climate where all students belong.
Lesson discussion questions:
The AmazeWorks lesson on Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs encourages deeper engagement and learning. The following activity invites reflection on issues affecting our community and what we can do to make a difference. It can be completed with children or used as a self-reflection practice.
Activity: Search for examples of social justice issues in Revolutions Are Made of Love, your local newspaper, or online. Invite young readers to make a list of school or community issues they are concerned about. Have them choose one of the issues and write about ways to problem-solve or address the issue.
If leading a classroom activity: Pair or group students together to discuss and share their thoughts and strategies based on the issues. Then have students combine and create a single document for each issue. Collect the writings into a book of Collaborative Community Solutions that students can refine, refer to, and share.
Give to the Max Day is almost here! Early giving starts November 1, but you don’t have to wait to support AmazeWorks with a donation. Click here to support belonging today. Or even better—start your own fundraiser to spread the giving around! Click here to get started.
Belonging isn’t just nice to have. It’s foundational for learning.
Join AmazeWorks, Lerner Publishing Group, and our stellar author panel for Belonging as a Foundation for Literacy. In this free webinar, you’ll find deep insights and actionable tips for growing belonging through books, and literacy through inclusion. 📚 Register here!
At AmazeWorks, we believe belonging is essential to counter political violence and to nurture mental health and community care. That’s why we’re launching our #WeAreEnough campaign—a peer-to-peer fundraiser inviting you to share your story, raise your voice, and rally your community for belonging.
Here’s how it works:
Together, our goal is to raise $30,000 by December 15. Already, 8 fundraisers have raised $4,005 toward that vision. Click here to create your fundraiser today. ❤️