Community is a big word, and it means different things to different people, but all of us relate to it in some way. For some of us, community is our immediate family; for others it is the friends we’ve chosen to surround ourselves with, who may also operate as our “chosen families”; for others, it is the community afforded by their place of worship. But there is also the larger sense of community that extends from neighborhood to school to town/ city to State, even to a notion of what our country is meant to stand for. Communities can extend even further outwards to encompass more members, e.g., the Black community, the Latinx community, the Jewish community, etc.

Nagara’s board book begins to introduce this concept to little ones. Born in Indonesia, Nagara moved to the US in 1988. His first children’s book, A is for Activist, originally written for his own child, and then released to great acclaim, led to increasingly more activist projects geared towards children. It is worth taking a look at his website and learning more about the tremendous work he is doing in the arena of social justice and young people. Good Trouble for Kids! is inspired by Nagara and his dedication to bringing attention to the intersection of art and activism. He consults for Wee The People, a social justice educational organization that I would like to get to know more about. He is also on the board of Bullhorn, an online magazine that some of you might find interesting. One of the very best parts of doing the write-ups on these books is learning about all the different social justice organizations out there!

There is no end to the counting books you can choose from for your babies and toddlers, but I hope this one becomes a favorite. Counting on Community is filled with diverse characters and activist concepts that parents can explore further with their tots and older kids, and with other people in their community. For instance, you can read about Black urban farming and their contribution to the movement for food justice; or the work being done by the Jewish environmental organization, Hazon, run by my good friend, Nigel Savage. Or learn about and support this extraordinary bike ride, Underground Railroad 2020. 

There are countless ways to protest and to resist. We are living in strange days, and protesting in large crowds is not comfortable for everyone. But how about getting out your chalk and protesting in your neighborhood community, even if just in your driveways? As this New York Times article explains, “Chalk art has long been a tableau for social activism, a form of instant commentary that takes political expression quite literally onto the streets.” Some cities, like Selah, Washington, go so far as to criminalize chalk protest art, but, as described in the article, people in the community rallied and made spaces for people to have their voices heard.

There are Black Lives Matter signs in the streets of many communities. I’ve posted just a few of them below. (I am proud to say that the last one is hanging outside my synagogue). Count the signs in your own neighborhoods with your little ones, and consider getting one for your own home (or making your own!).