Dr. Rhodes Meets with the Middle School
Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes, the award-winning author of Ghost Boys and Black Brother, Black Brother, met with our Middle School students and faculty Wednesday morning. Ms. Rhodes’ books were among the fiction choices for the summer reading assignment. In Ghost Boys, twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that’s been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy’s fight against racism and his empowering path to finding his voice.
Dr. Rhodes talked about her personal experiences as an African-American author and the inspiration behind her books. She answered questions from the students and inspired them to continue to push for change in our society. After meeting with Dr. Rhodes, the middle schoolers met in groups to discuss their summer reading, which centered around themes of diversity and tolerance, and to talk about what we as a community can do moving forward to help create a more just and equitable world.
