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rbrooks@serendipitylit.com
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Derrick Barnes 
My son (six) brought Crown home from his library today. Bedtime reading tonight. I’m in awe of your words, your message. I know it takes a village and I’m glad you’re in ours. Keep that pen flowing. Much love.
Thank you for your kind words. Tell your little guy I said hello, and that for as long as I write, I’ll try to craft as many stories as I can where boys that look like him are the center of the universe.
Much love,
ddb
Just read Crown: An Ode the the Fresh Cut to my 7th & 8th graders today. This book has quickly become one of my favorites. You have helped me bridge the gap between cultures and allowed me to join with you in celebrating the beauty and worthiness of young black men. Your author’s note was beautifully written. Thank you for all your work!
I read I Am Every Good Thing to 10 classes of Kindergarten and First grade. One class was so moved, they simultaneously ended the book with a round of applause. Each class wrote a letter to you about what they loved about the book. My favorite comment was from a Kindergartner who said “I like the holding hand page”. Let us all do a better job of hand holding. Each day, a student stops me in the halls wondering if our author has received our letters. I am putting them in the mail today and we hope our words bring you as much happiness as yours brought us.
I love it. I love it. I love it!!! When the babies give the message a thumbs up, I know that we did a good job. Hopefully some of those lines will stay in their beautiful minds for a long time.
I’ll let you know when I get the letters. Please tell them that I said hello.
peace and blessings,
ddb
https://www.instagram.com/authorderrickdbarnes/?hl=en
Two things: 1. thank you. I attended the Kweli conference today and your words resonated with me. As an author seeking my debut, I appreciate being reminded that , “the world wants you—your 100% authentic self” (paraphrase). I was also inspired by your hustle and your seeing the value of frequenting barbershops in Black neighborhoods when you are traveling and Black hair shows even if your publishing company didn’t. 2. thank you again—but this time for my son. Thank you for knowing that Black boys don’t need to be changed but need to be celebrated for their mind blowing intelligent, keeping beats on the table, confident, swaggy, regally handsome selves. And anyone who doesn’t agree can catch up when they can.
I am a 2nd-grade teacher in Detroit, Michigan. Every time I read your book, “I AM EVERY GOOD THING” my eyes well up. This book says everything I ever want my boys to believe about themselves. When I read it to the class, the girls felt slighted because even they could see how special your words made my boys feel and realize their power within. Bravo to Gordon C. James for the magnificent illustrations. I will be purchasing as many copies as my wallet will allow promoting this affirmation of love to my young brothers everywhere.
One of my kids checked I Am Every Good Thing out of the library. We’ve read it a couple times and enjoyed it. However, today I noticed the dedication at the beginning and it changed my appreciation for the book, to something more meaningful. I didn’t know who all those boys were–I do now, I looked them all up–but I realized what I was seeing when I recognized Trayvon Martin’s name. I am a Floridian, and that case changed the way I look at the world. Thank you for writing this book, for being a positive light in the world, and for dedicating your book to those boys.
Great to hear from you as well, Casy. That case changed my view of America. Quietly, I expected the outcome to be what it turned out to be, but I was hilding out hope that justice and common sense would win out. It didnt. When I heard the audio of him wailing out for help, it broke my heart, being the father of four Black boys. I knew it was him. I figured that the court would see that here was a teen, minding his own business, and was approached by an armed adult. Trayvon wasnt bothering anyone, wasnt breaking into anything. Simply walking home. The stand your ground law shouldn’t have even been permitted. again, it wasnt like Trayvon was asking or looking for trouble. Now in hindsight, we see how troubled Trayvon’s murderer is/was. As you can see…it really hurt me to the core.
I keep hoping, waiting for change, for this country to be informed and empathetic…but I’m still waiting.