Beautifully illustrated, the book follows the journey of a spunky young girl who learns to see herself as phenomenal no matter where she is in the world. Drawing from Clark’s real-life experiences of living on five continents as a Black woman, the book invites children to celebrate culture, joy, and curiosity while affirming that they belong everywhere.

“I wanted to give children a story that shows them that no matter their zip code, their voice and their light matter everywhere in the world,” said Clark!. “I AM Phenomenal Everywhere! is more than a book—it’s a movement of self-love and possibility.”

Early readers are already praising the book’s impact:

“I really, really appreciate the author of the book because she is being her authentic self. The author encourages little girls to be their authentic selves without feeling judged. Girls should embrace their authentic selves without feeling like someone out there wants them to be something else. I’m so excited about the book and look forward to reading more!” — Esther, Mother of 2

“I AM Phenomenal Everywhere! is so life-affirming for our young ones, and the illustrations are so beautiful. I loved everything about it. Your added vocabulary in the glossary was perfect, and we used it. It is definitely phenomenal!” — BJ, Teacher

“This book feels like wings. It tells our girls they are enough, they are brilliant, and they can dream beyond borders.” — Early Reader & Mom

The release of I AM Phenomenal Everywhere! comes at a pivotal moment in the school year when representation in children’s literature is essential. Studies show that children who see positive reflections of themselves in books build stronger self-esteem, perform better academically, and develop greater cultural awareness.

Available for purchase on Amazon, Clark’s book is designed for classroom adoption, school libraries, and community programs. Educators, parents, and organizations are encouraged to bring this inspiring story to their communities. Wholesale orders and virtual author visits are now available.

About the Author

Lacey C. Clark, also known as “Ms. Phenomenal Everywhere,” is an award-winning author, storyteller, and empowerment speaker who has lived on five continents over a period of 25 years. A Founders’ Scholar and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Clark! has dedicated over two decades to inspiring women and girls through books, performances, and media. Her groundbreaking solo play, Phenomenal Everywhere, gave the world its first glimpse through a Black woman’s eyes.

Clark is inspired by the legacies of Black women creatives such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Faith Ringgold, and Nikki Giovanni, whose work continues to affirm identity and expand possibility. In that same spirit, she uses storytelling as a tool for cultural pride, global imagination, and self-love. Her mission is to show girls that their voices matter, their stories belong everywhere, and their brilliance knows no borders.

Her work has been featured in Essence Magazine, Rolling Out, BET, MSNBC, Business Insider, Sheen Magazine, Radio One, and iHeartRadio. She is the creator of Phenomenal Everywhere and Phenomenally U, and the author of Celebrate HER Now! Her latest release, I AM Phenomenal Everywhere!, transforms her global journey into a children’s book that empowers young readers to embrace confidence, culture, and curiosity.

For bulk orders, virtual visits, and media inquiries, contact laceycc@sisterssanctuaryllc.com or call (913) 735-3568

On the top floor, we were greeted by Chuck Berry’s sleek red convertible. Nearby, Odetta sang “Oh, Freedom” at the March on Washington. Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. Gospel, jazz and the blues rose from Black culture.

When we walked out from the ground floor, a real slave cabin made a haunting image. Growing gardens around them could help feed a family.

There’s much more in between.

The architectural ascent, from slavery and segregation up to community, music, sports, arts and entertainment, shows a spirit that refused to be conquered. The Rosenwald schools in the South (a private gift) allowed poor Black children, like civil rights champion John Lewis, to be educated.

Remember the day Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon?

The building, made of bronze lace in a trapezoid shape, stands near the Washington Monument. Full of voices telling and singing stories of the nation’s history, and artifacts that don’t let it be forgotten, it opened its doors in September 2016.

Only nine years old, this Smithsonian museum — a testimonial to the Black experience since Transatlantic slave ships started arriving in port cities — opens a new history book, one we never read in class. In the eighth month of Donald Trump’s second presidential term, it’s already in rough high seas.

That lent some urgency to the visit, a protest vote against Trump’s clear and present threat to expunge part of the museum’s exhibits.

Slavery is on the endangered list; maybe the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation, for all we know. Abraham Lincoln freed 4 million enslaved people with a single stroke. The brave “Colored Troops” who fought for the Union might be erased.

In a shining grace note, the Lincoln Memorial shrine stands visible in the distance.

As we approach America’s 250th birthday next July, Trump scolds the nation’s memory-keepers for dwelling on “how bad slavery was.”

His scorn for the scar, shocking as it is, should not surprise us. The White House view of Black history comes down to “whatever I want.”

In fact, that’s the motto for Trump’s second term. He railroaded the Republican party and the Supreme Court, fired the librarian of Congress, shut several government agencies, cut public health to shreds and is now breathing down the independent Fed’s neck.

It’s remarkable how fast Trump consolidated power. Then again, it would be better to do it quickly, to paraphrase “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”

What we’ve got to get about Trump, before it’s too late, is that there is no line between his private gain and the public good. The United States of America belongs to him, personally. The rest of us are just background. And he can own history.

The more he exerts raw rule, with fear rising among the least of us, the happier Trump is. That is not the America we know. But that is the America we have become.

Trump would turn the turf on the National Mall into his garish golf club. How convenient that would be.

To murder hard truths of history is even worse than Trump’s seizing the Fed, Congress or the Supreme Court. Those changes ebb and flow over time.

History creates collective memory, embedded in us. The past is, as James Baldwin wrote, “literally present in all that we do.”

But it took America so long to admit our original sin, to see the flaws of our founders — nearly two centuries.

Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson lived a perfect contradiction, owning hundreds of humans, including his mistress and their children, and possessing unalienable rights.

History’s “wrenching pain,” in poet Maya Angelou’s words, can’t be buried alive once again.

No, not after this collection was built from scratch (mostly from family homes) by Lonnie G. Bunch III, now the Smithsonian secretary.

Bunch is the historian who could save racial remembrance from Trump’s wrath. He speaks of major figures like abolitionist Frederick Douglass, denied a chance to speak at the Smithsonian.

From there, the museum mission is to honor the jagged joy of overcoming: “a way out of no way.”

Columnist; Jamie Stiehm

Official website; https://www.jamiestiehm.com/

The crowd of more than 1,000 that gathered at Tennessee’s Capitol to demand safer gun policies was mostly white.

The three 9-year-old children and two of the three staff members who died in the mass shooting that inspired the protest were white.

The group of legislators who stood at the House podium with a bullhorn to lead protestors in the galleries was multiracial.

Only the Black legislators were expelled.

The Tennessee lawmakers who voted to expel House members Justin Jones and Justin Pearson while sparing Gloria Johnson shifted focus away from the outcry against gun violence – which cuts across every demographic – toward their own appalling racism.

In the eyes of the nation, when the House convened on the morning April 6, the Tennessee Three were facing expulsion because they protested gun violence. When it adjourned that evening, the Justins had been expelled because they are Black.

The reality is that racial resentment and gun extremism are inexplicably linked.

Racial resentment is a “statistically significant” predictor of white resistance to gun safety policies, research shows. Yet those same “racially resentful” Americans are less likely to support “gun rights” if they believe Black people are exercising those rights more than they are.

Despite the reality that a gun in the household offers almost no protection against assailants, doubles the risk of death by violent homicide and triples the risk of death by violent suicide, the vast majority of gun owners cite “protection” as their reason for owning one.

Clearly, for many white gun owners “protection” means “protection from Black people.”

The high rate of gun ownership in the South, even today, can be traced to the backlash against Reconstruction. The higher the rates of historical enslavement in a county, the higher the rates of contemporary gun ownership.

Nearly half of Southerners live in a household with at least one gun, compared to 28 percent of Northeasterners. Six of the ten states with the highest rates of gun violence – including Tennessee – are in the South.

Tennessee has the 10th-highest rate of gun violence in the nation and ranks 29th on the strength of its gun safety policies. Just eight days after the massacre at Covenant School, the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted to defer action on any gun-related legislation until next year.

While the anti-gun safety supermajority in Tennessee’s legislature’s may continue to block common-sense policies for some time to come, their effort to silence the outcry against gun violence clearly has failed. Not only have both Justins been reappointed to the House, they return as national heroes.

The Nashville Metropolitan Council unanimously voted to reappoint Jones to his seat on Monday, and the Shelby County Board of Commissioners returned Pearson to the House on Wednesday.

“Today we are sending a resounding message that democracy will not be killed in the comfort of silence,” Jones said after the vote. “Today we send a clear message to Speaker Cameron Sexton that the people will not allow his crimes against democracy to happen without challenge.”

In contrast to the legislature’s stubborn refusal to address gun violence, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has issued an executive order strengthening background checks for gun purchases and called for a red flag law that would temporarily remove guns from dangerous people.

Lee and his wife, Maria, were longtime friends of two of those who lost their lives at Covenant School: substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and headmistress Katherine Koontz. Peak was expected at the governor’s mansion for dinner with Maria Lee on the day of the shooting.

It should not take a personal connection to the victims of a massacre to move a public servant to take a stand against gun violence. But now that Lee has taken the first step, he must continue the journey and the legislature should follow.

Columnist; Marc Morial

Official website; http://twitter.com/MARCMORIAL

Resulting from the concerted efforts of Civil Rights activists, this Executive order was issued to remedy the systemic, pervasive, and traditional discrimination – Institutional Discrimination – that had governed and shaped Federal Government employment practices for decades.  From that time forward, Federal employment practices were to be conducted without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.   With the exception of HBCUs, advanced education was singularly available to whites, while fewer opportunities existed for non-whites.  Soon after the executive order and assessing the similarities of past discriminatory policies and practices within their ranks, colleges and universities began to acknowledge the need to adjust admission policies to reverse and eliminate practices of institutional discrimination.

At the urging of civil rights activists, increased numbers of Black students were admitted.   These increased numbers of admissions were logically justified as remedial, but were also recognized as an enhancement to the academic environment.  The resulting intellectual, cultural, and social diversity realized by these “affirmative” admissions created a learning and demographic environment that more closely reflected the general society and provided improved opportunities for positive interpersonal interactions.  Although not immediate or without challenges, these bi-lateral goals of eliminating discrimination practices and expanding intellectual diversity were set in motion.   Since being placed into practice, these “affirmative” admission policies have faced legal challenges alleging “reverse discrimination.”

Resulting court decisions in high profile cases involving highly ranked institutions have directed modifications to admission policies, but current challenges face a more reactionary social mindset and a more dogmatic Supreme Court.   At this writing, the Supreme Court of the United States is entertaining  challenges to the admission policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.  In this immediate case, Asian American students allege that “race-conscious” admissions have prevented the admission of more qualified Asian American applicants.

According to The Washington Post, “Conservative Supreme Court justices on Monday seemed open to ending decades of precedent allowing race-conscious admission decisions at colleges and universities, expressing doubt that the institutions would ever concede an “endpoint” in their use of race to build diverse student bodies.”   TWP adds, Plaintiff’s “attorney, Cameron Norris, representing Students for Fair Admissions, emphasized what he called the harms of racial classifications.  “They stigmatize their intended beneficiaries. They increase racial consciousness, which delays the day in which we can move to true racial neutrality. And they cause resentment by treating people differently based on something they can’t change,” he said.”   I find Norris’ argument disingenuous, at best.  While arguing against “racial classifications,” he argues for a group that accepts their own “racial classification” as the basis of alleged discrimination.  It is also disingenuous to believe that, even absent consideration of past experiences, the color of a person’s does not matter, or that, as a class, they would feel stigmatized by actions designed to address past injustice to that class.

One can only ask if  “racial neutrality” can ever be achieved or, more practically, if we must be about the work of correcting emerging or remaining vestiges of discrimination where we find them.   I’m left to wonder if, for this iteration of the Supreme Court, fifty years is an arbitrary expiration date for SCOTUS decisions that correct long-standing social ills.  Like Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University, I agree that if Columbia (and other colleges/universities) is not allowed to consider race, the presence of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students on the Ivy League campus could be diminished. “I would expect it to have a significant impact,” Bollinger said.

Columnist; Dr. E. Faye Williams

Official website; http://www.efayewilliams.com/

Moore grew up in a single-parent household and later joined the Army at 17. He received an associate degree from Valley Forge Military College and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He earned a Rhodes scholarship and served as a White House Fellow in the Bush administration under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. If elected, Moore will be the first Black governor in Maryland. The Army combat veteran said he takes patriotism “very, very seriously.” I look at my history where I was willing to put my life on the line for this country, and I would do it all over again because I believe in what this country is and what this country can be for so many other people.”

Following the end of the military draft in 1973, the U.S. armed services depends on a constant flow of new volunteers each year. Unlike Wes Moore at age 17, most of today’s 17 to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service. Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the head of the Army’s I Corps, was blunt in his criticism about military-age Americans. “Only 23% of the people that are of age to serve are actually qualified,” Brunson said, highlighting the need to look at what is happening to our youth because the issues are much wider than just the Army. “Some of the challenges we have are obesity, we have pre-existing medical conditions, we have behavioral health problems, we have criminality, people with felonies, and drug use,” he said. “This is not an Army problem, this is an American problem.”

Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve, a report by Mission: Readiness—a group of retired military and civilian leaders – found that 1 in 4 young people between the ages of 17 and 24 do not have a high school diploma. About 30% of those with a diploma still fail the Armed Forces Qualification Test, the entrance exam required to join the U.S. military. Another 1 in 10 young people cannot serve because of past convictions for felonies or serious misdemeanors, states the report. A full 27% are simply too overweight to join the military. Nearly 32% have disqualifying health problems, including asthma, eyesight or hearing problems, mental health issues, or recent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment. According to the report, that leaves only 2 out of 10 American young people fully eligible to join the military without special waivers. “Imagine 10 young people walking into a recruiter’s office and seven of them getting turned away,” said former Under Secretary Joe Reeder in a press release. “We cannot allow today’s dropout crisis to become a national security crisis.”

It is not surprising that someone with a military background like Wes Moore has adopted “Leave Nobody Behind” as their military-inspired campaign slogan. When we have reports showing over 70% of our young Americans are unqualified to serve in the military, it weakens the potential workforce for businesses and national security. It takes the child, parent, teacher, administrator, and community to play a direct or indirect role in our youth’s physical, social, educational, emotional, and spiritual development. When we have American soldiers who are lost or left behind in battle, they are eventually designated as MIA, or “missing in action.” Today, far too many of our youth will be MIA when it comes to meeting the future military needs of our country.

Columnist; David W. Marshall

Official website; http://www.davidwmarshallauthor.com

Every year, the American Library Association and partner organizations observe Banned Books Week to highlight and push back against these threats. This year’s Banned Books Week runs from September 18-24 amidst a wave of book bans and other attempts to restrict what people can learn.

These efforts have a long and dishonorable history.

Before the Civil War, many slave states made it a crime to teach enslaved people to read. Slaveholders feared that being able to read might help enslaved people gain their freedom or organize rebellions. In Virginia, a judge could order that any slave or free person of color caught learning to read or write be whipped.

In our day, attacking the freedom to read is once again a political strategy for those seeking to take and keep power. And once again, Black people are a primary target.

State legislators and governors are making it illegal to teach honestly about the history and reality of racism in our country. Far-right activists are trying to purge schools and libraries of books that feature Black people, LGBTQ people, and others they deem unworthy of students’ attention.

The MAGA movement’s attacks on teaching about racism and sexuality have led to what the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has called an “astronomical” increase in challenges to books.

That’s why the annual celebration of the freedom to read that is Banned Books Week is especially meaningful this year. In addition to the librarians, authors, booksellers, teachers, and other anti-censorship activists who lead Banned Book Week activities, all of us have a role to play in ensuring the voices of our communities are not silenced.

Books by and about Black people and other people of color—and by and about LGBTQ people—dominate the ALA’s annual list of most frequently challenged books. This year’s honorary chairman, George Johnson, is an award-winning Black author whose “All Boys Aren’t Blue” is high on the list of books most challenged last year, along with others dealing with racism, racial identity, and sexuality.

“This is a fight for the truth that has always existed even if it rarely gets told,” Johnson says. “When the youth are empowered with stories about the experiences of others, they become adults who understand the necessity for equity and equality and have the tools to build a world the likes of which we have never seen.”

But far-right activists tell parents that words like “equity” are code for Marxism and something they should fight. Trump Republicans are encouraging MAGA activists to take over their school boards by running propaganda campaigns about “critical race theory.” Trumpish state legislators are introducing laws to make it illegal to teach anything that might make White students experience “discomfort.” One Texas lawmaker demanded information from schools on 850 books he thought were suspect; his list included works on history and human rights. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin set up an email hotline for people to report teachers suspected of “divisive” practices.

Books targeted in the current war on truth include a memoir by Ruby Bridges, which tells the true story about her walking through angry mobs when she was a six-year-old who became the first Black student to attend a New Orleans elementary school that had previously been off-limits to non-White students.

This is an important part of our history. We cannot build a future together if we are not willing to honestly face the truth about our past and our present.

Banned Books Week is a good time to commit ourselves to defending the freedom to read, teach, and learn about our history—and to opposing those who want to make it illegal to teach about that history or make it impossible for educators to do so without being smeared and harassed.

Columnist; Ben Jealous

Official website; https://twitter.com/BenJealous

Some teachers talk about classroom conditions, a decline in respect for teachers, or the challenges of dealing with unruly students with little administrative support. Others are frustrated by the presence of so-called “law enforcement” officers in schools and the ways these officers treat Black and Brown students differently than others. A highly publicized incident in Montgomery County, Maryland, involved police officers verbally berating and handcuffing a 5-year-old. This incident is just one of the hundreds where out-of-control and egomaniacal police officers treat children as adults and administer punishment, not understanding. Teachers often feel helpless in these situations. Some use them as a catalyst to leave the classroom.

The classroom has become increasingly tense when legislators attempt to influence the curriculum. Some have banned the teaching of “critical race theory,” a legal concept rarely injected into k-12 education but feared by those who also fear the truth about the flawed foundations of our nation. Other states have forbidden teaching about race or concepts that make students “uncomfortable.” In Colleyville, Texas, a Black principal of a majority white high school was forced to resign because of disputes about critical race theory. The school district preferred putting him on paid leave rather than dealing with the truth. If a principal can be forced to resign, what about a teacher? Many teachers feel they are walking on eggshells when teaching our nation’s true history.

Education has become so politicized that some school boards ban books because the content is considered “objectionable” by some. According to PEN America, there were at least1560 book bans in 2021-2022. Many of these books featured characters who were people of color. The Washington Post reports that books were also removed from libraries because they had LGBTQ themes or directly addressed race and racism. Who wants to teach in an environment taken over by conservative truth-deniers who don’t want to have students learn about enslavement, the unequal treatment of women, or the invisibility of LGBTQ folks? Addressing these issues is not political; it’s factual., but the conservative presence on school boards has made the classroom increasingly uncomfortable for many teachers.

This contributes to the teacher shortage, which The Economist magazine describes as “neither new nor national.” Indeed, for the past several years, each fall has seen widely publicized scarcity in some areas. There has always been a shortage of teachers in inner-city schools, many forced to use substitute teachers when they can’t find permanent staff. This year, Texas has about a thousand vacancies. In Maryland, 5500 teachers left the profession. Nevada schools opened on August 8 short fourteen hundred teachers. The federal Department of Education has issued a fact sheet detailing responses to the teacher shortage, including innovative ways to recruit and support teachers.

Absent from much of this discussion is the attack on Black teachers and the extreme shortage of Black teachers in many inner city school districts where most students are African American. Data on the differential discipline for Black students, which includes disproportionate suspensions and expulsions, reflect the cultural biases that too many white teachers bring to the classroom. The educational achievement gap is partly a function of how academic hierarchies discriminate against Black students and teachers.

In addressing the so-called teacher shortage, it is essential to consider the purpose of education and the fact that too often, students are being taught to go along with a structure that oppresses them. Education is often a political tool to force assimilation. Consider how Indian boarding schools were often violently forced to abandon their Indian and Indigenous identities to access education.

There is a crisis in education, and the teacher shortage is one manifestation of the many ways that teachers and students are devalued as “educators” pursue a false and degrading narrative. If education were more reflective of reality, people would flock to classrooms instead of fleeing from the frustration of being forced to embrace a curriculum that distorts the truth.

Columnist; Julianne Malveaux

FB Page; http://facebook.com/julianne.malveaux

Following the decision, I reminisced about my childhood athletic experiences. I was a three-sport athlete in a public high school in the late 1980s. At the time it was common for coaches to lead teams in prayer following contests or practices. The “prayer circle” often included members of opposing teams, which we viewed as a gesture that transcended competition and sportsmanship. To my knowledge, no one — whether a student, parent or spectator — ever voiced opposition.

Did I feel coerced to participate? Not at all. Indeed, as a lifelong Christian, I welcomed it. As far as I knew, so did all my fellow athletes. While it was clear that some students were more devout than others, I would have been quite surprised if my “less believing” teammates felt uncomfortable. It never occurred to me that coaches might dole out playing time based on whether a student joined the prayer. Of course, I can’t say for sure whether some athletes felt pressure to participate. And, to be honest, I probably would not have been sympathetic to any who did not want to participate. (I have matured since then, despite what my two teens might say.)

Millions of Christians, especially Evangelicals and conservative Catholics, are rejoicing at the court’s decision — their concerns about school officials “indoctrinating” children notwithstanding. We should be clear that their joy is not about fealty to the Constitution; it is about the notion that Christianity is being “attacked” in America. To be sure, America is much less religious than it has been in decades past.

Further, millions of people who formerly might have been silent about their opposition to Christianity are forcefully speaking out. However, opposition is not oppression. Religion — especially Christianity — is protected in America perhaps more than in any other nation.

As an Evangelical, I am grateful that I have freedom of religion. And, as an American who understands our history, I embrace the fact that freedom from religion is equally important. Christianity is not built on coercion or chauvinism; it is based on grace (from God) and evangelism. If more Christians were more concerned with presenting our faith in a loving and persuasive manner, we would lead more people to Christ. Spreading the “good news” — with a good attitude — should be our focus. Research shows that negative public perception is one of the key reasons why hundreds of thousands of people leave our faith each year, not to mention the millions of nonbelievers who want nothing to do with Jesus based upon their experience with Christians.

Some will argue that they are not willing to “compromise” their beliefs, even if it means that there will be fewer Christians. First, there is no need to compromise one’s beliefs, though it is clear that some tenets of Christianity (as many practice it) run counter to a pluralistic democracy. Second, many of my fellow believers have either forgotten or are unaware of Apostle Paul’s strategy: “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). To make matters worse, the sad reality is that too many of us have sold out our faith to a political party that places white Christian nationalism above the redemptive sacrifice of Christ.

Unfortunately, too many Christians want to create a de facto theocracy. Indeed, far too many favor tactics and even laws that are more appropriate for countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan than the U.S. They seem not to understand (or care) that the Constitution’s establishment clause guarantees that people of other faiths are equally able to express their beliefs. Lost on them is the irony of exercising one’s constitutional rights in such a way that is likely to result in the reduction of others’ rights. Further, it will be interesting to see their response once Muslims and others begin to assert their right to public prayer.

I pray for the day that more Christians will have as much zeal to fight for those whom Jesus called “the least of these” as they do for the right to publicly parade their piety.

Columnist; Larry Smith

When I say shield, I do not mean to pretend that these things do not exist. Rather, I mean that we have been very sensitive any time any of the aforementioned have been spoken or discussed, especially within the presence of young children. Unfortunately, this standard is slowly deteriorating. There are many powerful people out there who want to force young children to examine topics such as the intricacies of gender and sex. At what age is it inappropriate to discuss these topics with children? If these topics are to be addressed, shouldn’t parents have a role in where, when and how? After all, it is precisely the parents who know their children the best; they are endowed with the innate sense of how far to push their child, and as their caretakers they have every right to teach them the principles that they believe to be right.

New York City’s financial records indicate that $200,000 in taxpayer funds were spent in prior years to finance the presence of drag queens in public elementary schools serving children as young as 3. Some parents were not notified of the appearance of these drag queens in advance, and neither they nor their children were offered the ability to opt out. The drag queens would read children LGBTQ-based stories and teach them how to apply drag makeup on occasion.

This is not about being against anybody but rather about raising the issue of whether young children should be exposed to drag queens and drag makeup. I do not believe they should, and it is a topic we must debate as a nation. Now, if individual parents want to do it on their own time, that is their right and decision. But should every child be compelled to experience it? After all, do macho men attend elementary schools and read to young children books that encourage them to embrace their heterosexuality? No, they do not. Again, because we care about the impressions we leave on young children and want to preserve their innocence and childhood’s beauty. Permitting drag queens into primary classrooms to read and teach their philosophy will only confuse impressionable children. How can the school board expect children to understand a man dressed in women’s clothing instructing them on men loving men and women loving women when they have difficulty comprehending sexuality in general?

New York City’s Department of Education justified the appearance of the drag queens based on the fact that it is “life saving” because 57 transgender people were murdered in the United States in 2021 for their identity. Of course, as is typical of the extreme left, this statement is misleading. No report indicates that all or the majority of the killings were motivated by transphobia. In fact, almost every article ignores it.

This is one of the most obvious examples of political intrusion in our educational system. There are school administrators who are willing to expose your children to their political beliefs and principles without your presence or knowledge. They endeavor to care for your children as if they were their own. That is not the role of an educator with children. Their responsibility is to instruct children in elementary arithmetic, science and English. Of course, if a child is curious about such topics surrounding sexuality, the educator should notify the parent(s) and let them choose the best method to support the child. Unfortunately, many school administrators believe they have the authority to invade the minds of young children and instill in them values that serve their desire for power. Maddeningly, they’re not wrong, and with deep pockets and loud voices behind them, they can do just about anything, including use your children as political pawns.

Thankfully, there are countless parents who are outraged and willing to voice their concerns in order to effect change for their children. If we do not appreciate and preserve our children and the beauty of childhood, we will saddle them with a weight much greater than their young minds can bear.

Columnist; Armstrong Williams

Official website; http://www.armstrongwilliams.com

While the separate opponents can be bitter rivals, good sportsmanship is typically displayed during and after the game. At the end of a hard-played match, it is common for players and coaches from both teams to have a “good game” moment by shaking hands. The same civility used to be true in the political arena. It was a time when candidates competed, campaigned, and debated against each other, and once the voice of the people was heard through a fair election, good sportsmanship was displayed by both sides. The losing candidate would graciously concede and congratulate their opponent. The winning candidate, in good faith, would fully honor their oath by representing all people, including those who voted against them. While two sides can bitterly disagree, political disagreements can still be had within decency and fair play boundaries.

Therefore, political rivals do not have to cross the line and become hated enemies to the level where hostilities lead to violent situations. While sports and politics are entirely different forms of competition, they both involve a degree of passion and emotions. Emotions are tricky. We are often advised never to make a major decision while emotional. Even during athletic events, coaches realize their players will lose focus when emotions run high. Even the best athlete can become ineffective throughout intense game situations by being overly emotional, leading to the team’s collapse and defeat. Where good coaches seek to de-escalate the intensity of emotions to win the competition, we see certain Republican leaders become committed to promoting high emotions—fear and anger— to win political matches and govern. By labeling your political opponent as being your political enemy, Republicans have successfully politicalized voters’ emotions regarding culture war issues. America’s culture war is not new, but it was previously held in check for the good of the nation.

In the 1800s, there was no love lost between people from the industrial north and those living in the agricultural south. The animosity was present long before the start of the Civil War. When soldiers representing northern and southern states fought side by side during the Revolutionary War, the cultural differences were evident. But it took a strong leader in George Washington as Commander of the Continental Army to keep the regional and cultural differences in check. He prevented minor internal differences from escalating and becoming a major divisive force between the soldiers. Rather than turning against each other, Washington kept the men under his command focused on the British Army, their true enemy. Together, the soldiers, with their diverse cultural backgrounds, shared a common mission. They were true patriots who put their country first and achieved their goal of acquiring independence despite their differences. The parallels between then and now are clear. Washington was like many of today’s athletic coaches who defuse emotions and cultural division to achieve a shared goal. Unfortunately, we do not see that type of consistent leadership when it comes to the endless number of mass shootings that show no sign of abating. Instead, it is obvious how political gain is sought and achieved by allowing deep passions and emotions to run unchecked on topics such as the Second Amendment and the “great replacement theory.” When leaders identify others as their political enemy, it generates emotions that make people insensitive, blind, and unable to make reasonable conclusions regarding sensible gun control measures. It’s sad to say that the killing of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, will not be the last deadly school shooting in our nation.

Let us not forget the Buffalo massacre. After an 18-year-old white man drove three hours to purposely kill people at a supermarket in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, families are still grieving. After experiencing the Charleston, South Carolina, church massacre in 2015, we must ask ourselves, why are racially motivated mass shootings still happening? Do Democrats fully understand their opponents to expose the inhumanity in their midst?

The “great replacement theory inspired Payton Gendron’s killing of 10 people in Buffalo.” It must be a wake-up call. It will be cruel and irresponsible to allow divisive and exploitive rhetoric to continue unchallenged. It was encouraging that Rep. Liz Cheney took the bold stand to defend humanity. Cheney wrote via Twitter: “The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-Semitism. History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.” While hate is powerful, does America still have the conscience to take up Cheney’s call to reject white supremacy to heart? Does it have the conscience to reject the power of the NRA to prevent future Uvalde-style violence?

Columnist; David W. Marshall

Official website; http://www.davidwmarshallauthor.com