As you know, I am proudly partnering with Rock Your World, a project of Creative Visions, Inc., and I am donating 10% of my profits from Blood at the Root to support the incredible work they do to empower youth to advocate for social change through arts and the media.
I am excited to announce that Rock Your World has developed free curriculum materials to accompany Blood at the Root that can be accessed and used by any educator!
These materials guide students through reflective activities on our names as mirrors of our identities, on jazz as a response to difficult social issues, and on the unlikely friendships we’ve formed throughout our lives.
These enrichment activities were inspired by the character Elroy, from Blood at the Root, but they can stand alone, even if students have not read Blood at the Root. However, if you or an educator you know would like to have your class read Elroy’s chapter while working through this curriculum, please contact me, and I would be happy to provide a complimentary .pdf of the chapter for you to share with your students.
I am also available to visit your classroom virtually, either to work with your students on these enrichment activities or to engage in discussion about Blood at the Root as a whole, about the role of literature in advocating for social justice, or any other topics related to my books or to life as an author.
Disclaimer: Some parts of Blood at the Root contain explicit language, graphic imagery, violence, and other content that may not be suitable for high school students. However, Elroy’s chapter, upon which these curriculum enrichment activities have been developed, is entirely appropriate for classroom use.