1 January

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.”

On this, the 200th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the document continues to be housed in the National Archives.

Emancipation Day is celebrated in African American communities throughout the United States.

21st Annual African American Children’s Book Fair

The African American Children’s Book Fair is the oldest and largest single day events for African American Children’s Books in the country. The Book Fair, which is free and open to the public, will be held 9 February from 1-3pm in Philadelphia.  Authors and illustrators scheduled to participate in the event include

• Regina Brooks
• Floyd Cooper
• Jerry Craft
• Nancy Devard
• Deborah Gregory
• David Miller
• Marilyn Nelson
• Margaree King Mitchell
• Alice Randall
• James Ransome
• Lesa Cline-Ransome
• Shadra Strickland
• Glennette Tilly Turner
• Eric Velasquez
• Renee Watson
• Caroline Randall Williams
• Elizabeth Zunon

For more information

Artists Needed

the following information appearing on Asia in the Heart, World on My Mind

We are looking for children’s book illustrators from countries around the world to design bookplates for International Book Giving Day 2013! If you are interested in designing a bookplate, please contact Amy Broadmoore at amy dot broadmoore at gmail dot com.

International Book Giving Day is a grassroots, 100% volunteer initiative to encourage people to give books to children on February 14, 2013. To celebrate, people are invited to 1) give a book to a friend or family member, 2) leave a book in a waiting room for children to read, or 3) donate a book to an organization that distributes books to children in need.

Children’s book illustrators are invited to design bookplates that celebrants can attach to books they give to children. We welcome bookplates written in a variety of languages. The bookplates must be 11.4 cm x 6.9 cm (or 4.5 inches x 2.7 inches) in size. We will make the bookplates available for free at the International Book Giving Day website for people to download and print themselves. We will also offer the bookplates for sale as inexpensively as possible at International Book Giving Day’s Zazzle store.

Other ways for children’s book authors and illustrators to support International Book Giving Day:

*Add your name to the list of people giving books for International Book Giving Day. Fill out the very brief form on the home page of the International Book Giving Day website.

*Invite others to celebrate International Book Giving Day.

*Take a photo of yourself leaving a book in a waiting room, giving a book to a child, or otherwise celebrating International Book Giving Day for us to share at our website or Instagram page (#giveabook).

Native American Athletes to Compete in the London 2012

Native American Athletes to Compete in the London 2012 Olympics

By Cheryl Cedar Face · 07/27/2012

From: American Indian Report

Indian Country has an extra reason to celebrate today’s opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics: four Native American women will be competing for a medal in London.

The women are competing one hundred years after Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. If they win, they will join Billy Mills (Oglala Sioux), Duke Kahanamoku (a Native Hawaiian), and Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox), as Native American medalists.

Mary Killman, a member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma, will be competing in the Synchronized Duet Technical swimming event. She and her partner Mariya Koroleva qualified by placing 7th at the Federation Internationale de (FINA) Olympic Games Qualification tournament.

Mary Spencer, First Nation Ojibway, will be competing in the 75-kilogram middleweight boxing event for Team Canada in women’s boxing Olympic debut. Spencer has been hailed as one of Canada’s best bets for Olympic gold. According to her official website, Spencer is a three-time world champion and an eight-time national champion.

Tumua Anae, a Native Hawaiian, will be competing as the goalie for the U.S National Water Polo team. She began training with the National Team in 2010. Anae recorded sixteen saves at the 2012 FINA World League Super Final.

Adrienne Lyle, 27, is one of the youngest American dressage riders to compete in the Olympics. Lyle is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She earned a place on the American team after placing in the top four at the U.S. Equestrian Federation Dressage Festival of Champions and USEF Dressage Olympic Selection Trials on June 16^th.

All four women are distinguished athletes competing not only for their countries, but for their Indigenous nations. Be sure to watch out for their events!