Lynnette Mawhinney (@lkmawhinney) shares LULU THE ONE AND ONLY, her debut picture book. There is a lot to be said for the question, “What are you?” It’s a question that dehumanizes the person at which it’s directed, but it also reveals a lot of it’s asker. Lynnette wrote the story as a means of showing real realities for biracial kids. To quote Lynnette,“We constantly want to put people in categories.” This conversation, dear listener, is an attempt to get to the bottom of why that is, to acknowledge the humanity in everyone, and to hold space for courageous conversations that seek to create spaces where we preserve the dignity of every kid. If you can’t tell, I had a really amazing time talking with Lynette.
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ON TODAY'S EPISODE (#620):
Lulu loves her family, but people are always asking
What are you?
Lulu hates that question. Her brother inspires her to come up with a power phrase so she can easily express who she is, not what she is.
Includes a note from the author, sharing her experience as the only biracial person in her family and advice for navigating the complexity of when both parents do not share the same racial identity as their children.
SHOW NOTES:
Lynnette Mawhinney (website)
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