in New Orleans in 1960 amidst protests. Now You’re It invites readers to contemplate how Bridges was feeling and how the protesters were feeling. “Everybody was telling her to leave and being rude and disrespectful to her because she is Black,” said Keith. “Sometimes I am scared because I think [those things] could still happen today.” Keith has a knack for thinking beyond himself and realized many of his Hispanic friends might like to read his books in Spanish. Both picture books will be printed in Spanish with plans to translate the journal as well. Real-life experiences gave Keith and his mom a jumping off point for their picture books. Momma Can I Be Me? was written as a nod to Keith and Rogers’ disagreement over his getting dreadlocks, for which he advocated for more than a year before Rogers, who was worried about Keith being stereotyped, acquiesced. “We’re taught there’s a certain way we have to present ourselves,” said Rogers, “like if you go to a job interview you shouldn’t wear
your hair in braids. But I am growing through him, and this is about the importance of kids being their true selves and parents respecting those differences.” Daddy Can I Decide? takes Keith’s experience of wanting to engage in different activities than his dad, brothers and extended family and expands to helping kids find and explore their own passions. That freedom and support from his family led Keith to announce his interest in acting, and he’s since served as an extra in several commercials. Keith also loves to play basketball, and in school his favorite subjects are math and reading. The newly-minted author has found learning history is pretty intriguing, too, and he and Rogers have been learning about Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre together, inspiring their fourth book. Rogers wasn’t taught about either in her school days and says it’s been both painful and enlightening to learn about the powerful business sector and its demise alongside her son. “It’s been amazing to go through this with him,” said Rogers. “We would have never had
this opportunity if we weren’t forced to be home together by this pandemic.” Though Keith sometimes feels scared about the visibility of racial injustice in our world today, he doesn’t shy away from learning about hard things, using his voice and being himself, and he hopes the words he pens help others do the same. “Every Black life is important,” said Keith. “Every life is important, but we say that because of how people are treating us right now.”
Give the gift of a book by this Super Kid! Momma Can I Be Me? is available for purchase on Amazon. Keith's
other books are still in production and expected to be available for purchase in early 2021.
Changing Lives– One Dog at a Time
Thirteen-year-old Caleb White volunteers every weekend at Oklahoma City Animal Welfare. Whether it’s featuring a dog for #FreeMeFriday, taking pets to events for potential adoption, or playing ball with a furry friend for an afternoon, his passion for animal rescue is a prime example of why we’re inspired by kids like Caleb. At Kimray, our mission is to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Caleb exemplifies this by living out that mission in the service he provides to his community. And that’s The Kimray Way.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / DECEMBER 2020 45
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