If you landed here, you care about kids.

You care about literacy.

You care about liberating Black children from oppression.

You understand the transformative power of the right books in the right hands

You are ready to to move your "care" into ACTION.

How does this work?

This is our peaceful protest:  Handing out personally addressed and autographed books to children who are on the frontlines - in the freezing or scorching temps, in the rain and snow, and chanting because their lives do depend on it.   Donate $10 today and this becomes YOUR peaceful protest.  

In May of 2020, after the senseless killing of George Floyd, my team and I started a campaign that offered free books to children at the protests.  The 200 children we could afford to reach showed us this is necessary work.  We saw the joy wash over them. They and their parents sought us out and wrote us in deep gratitude.  This week, we started the program again in solidarity with Daunte Wright, another black boy taken too soon.  

We are handing out books as fast as the donations roll in.  Everyday, there are kids we can't reach.  We need more books.  We need your help.  

We expect peaceful protests, demonstrations, vigils, and memorials to continue through this spring, as our community navigates calling for justice for Wright and Floyd (including maximum sentencing) and honor the life of George Floyd on the anniversary of his murder.  We estimate 3,000 children will attend.  We want to show up with a book for each and every one of them. With your help we can.

Who's idea is this?

“At a time when we still have to shout that Black Lives Matter, I want to prompt the Black boys, who I love, to envision all the possibilities before them.  I want them to picture a future of positivity and hope - one of pride in their own greatness and power.” ~Crown Shepherd

That's me.  I'm Crown Shepherd, the author of Black Boy, Black Boy.  I am an author, educator, and activist who could not find a way to bring my work to life for children through the mainstream publishing industry.  Though they loved my work, they would only publish it if we "white-washed" it.  We heard: "The black child on the cover cannot be wearing glasses" and "The black children all need to look the same and have lighter skin tone".  I crowdsourced, saved, and borrowed to bring Black Boy, Black Boy to life.  I am doing the same for Black Girl, Black Girl coming later this year. I keep exploring how to cover printing costs in order to reach kids in need.  I am certain this campaign partnership is going to get the books in the hands of the those kids! 

How does my donation help?

It costs me $12 to print every copy.  Partnering with the Minnesota Montessori Network, I have covered $2 of every book.  That means for every $10 you donate, a book goes to child.

You can help with a $10 donation.  

You can organize your friends and family to each sponsor at least one book.

You can help us get books to many children in a single or recurring donation.

If you choose a recurring donation, you will also be supporting our summer outreach to children who lose touch with books when school lets out and our partnerships with schools serving Black children in the fall.  

What's special about this book?

Black Boy, Black Boy takes a call-and-response approach to tap into the magic of it's mantra's simple positive message:  Black boys can be a doctor, judge, president...anything they want to be!  Each page depicts a unique boy looking into the future, seeing his grown-up self and admiring the greatness reflected back at him.

This book is created to show Black boys and the world that their potential is infinite.  

This book is an intentional contradiction to what they see in the world around them.  A world that does not see them, at best.  

This book is an intentional effort to dismantle a system of oppression that confines Black boys to images of themselves as criminals, prisoners, athletes or hip-hop artists.

This book is an intentional tool to inspire Black boys to want to read and fight the systems of education and book publishing that leaves their literacy to chance. 

Black Boy, Black Boy is meant for everyone. It is meant to shout to the world that Black boys want a future without limits. 

Is this donation tax deductible?

The Minnesota Montessori Network, a 501(c)(3) that is sponsoring this book drive, will email you a receipt for 100% of the value of your donation. Please consult your personal tax preparer regarding the tax benefit of deducting donations to nonprofit entities.