Back in the 1900s, I was no different than any immigrant kid lucky enough to have parents with jobs. Both of my parents worked long hours and my sister and I were what is known as “latchkey kids.” When we got off the school bus, we let ourselves in. But the difference between the latchkey kids in our neighborhood was that we had the Ditmas Avenue branch of the Brooklyn Public library around the corner. Literally.
So if libraries are a free resource, and they exist... Why do we even have to collect books for kids? Can’t they just “go to the library” like I did for literacy exposure? And that’s what we’re going to tackle today...
Tenikka Smith Hughes is a 3x Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist with 20 years of experience. Over the course of her career, Tenikka has garnered a reputation for being a key contributor and compassionate newsroom leader. She has a passion for storytelling and community engagement. Tenikka is a youth literacy advocate. She's the driving force behind “Tenikka’s Books for Kids,” an annual book collection initiative that’s put nearly 30,000 free books into the hands of local children.
"You give me a book and I'm going to find it a home."
- Tenikka Smith Hughes
Raised by her mom Doris,
her Aunt Fay,
and her Grandmother Martha, of blessed memory.
Do you have some feedback, thoughts or questions?
Want to be a guest on my show or have an Honorable Mensch to nominate?
Connect on Instagram @SchmoozewithSuze
Subscribe to the Schmooze with Suze Podcast for your dose of #Culture, #Values and #GlobalCitizenship... with a side of #chutzpah...
Don’t forget to leave a review if you enjoyed this episode.
Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE.
Thank you for helping us grow!
Back in the 1900s, I was no different than any immigrant kid lucky enough to have parents with jobs. Both of my parents worked long hours and my sister and I were what is known as “latchkey kids.” When we got off the school bus, we let ourselves in. But the difference between the latchkey kids in our neighborhood was that we had the Ditmas Avenue branch of the Brooklyn Public library around the corner. Literally.
So if libraries are a free resource, and they exist... Why do we even have to collect books for kids? Can’t they just “go to the library” like I did for literacy exposure? And that’s what we’re going to tackle today...
Tenikka Smith Hughes is a 3x Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist with 20 years of experience. Over the course of her career, Tenikka has garnered a reputation for being a key contributor and compassionate newsroom leader. She has a passion for storytelling and community engagement. Tenikka is a youth literacy advocate. She's the driving force behind “Tenikka’s Books for Kids,” an annual book collection initiative that’s put nearly 30,000 free books into the hands of local children.
"You give me a book and I'm going to find it a home."
- Tenikka Smith Hughes
Raised by her mom Doris,
her Aunt Fay,
and her Grandmother Martha, of blessed memory.
Do you have some feedback, thoughts or questions?
Want to be a guest on my show or have an Honorable Mensch to nominate?
Connect on Instagram @SchmoozewithSuze
Subscribe to the Schmooze with Suze Podcast for your dose of #Culture, #Values and #GlobalCitizenship... with a side of #chutzpah...
Don’t forget to leave a review if you enjoyed this episode.
Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE.
Thank you for helping us grow!
Back in the 1900s I was no different than any immigrant kid lucky enough to have parents with jobs. Both of my parents worked long hours and my sister, jenny, and I were what is known as latchkey kids. When we got off the school bus, we let ourselves in. But the difference between the latchkey kids in our neighborhood was that we had the Dittmas Avenue branch of the Brooklyn Public Library around the corner, literally, and there was nothing like it the books, the freedom, the aisles, the smell, the freedom, the librarians who knew me by name and, most special, the RIF program reading is fundamental where I could earn free books. By reading books, I had access to what felt like everything. So if libraries are a free resource and they exist, why do we even have to collect books for kids? Can't they just go to the library, like I did, for literacy exposure? And that's what we're going to tackle today.
Speaker 1:Hi, I'm Sue's here with your weekly dose of culture, values and identity and where we tackle those topics others may consider, off limits. A little about me. I'm a busy Gen X mom who, quite frankly, wanted to grow up like the Brady Bunch. But how could I, being raised in the shadow of Schindler's list? So this means I've spent a lifetime navigating these mixed messages we get hit with daily. You know those conversations where we wonder if it's safe to speak our minds. Can we share our experiences, voice our fears and concerns, or should we just keep our mouths shut? Well, too bad. I need to know, but I'm no expert, so I'm going to schmooze the experts and get their thoughts. Why Can we engage with our kids, colleagues or the countless committees we interact with? We can do it with competence, kindness, confidence and maybe a bit of humor. If this sounds like your cup of coffee, welcome to Schmooze with Sue's.
Speaker 1:About a dozen years ago, I knew that this man I had married was my forever home. Not because of our Katuba, the Jewish marriage contract, or the officially notarized legal marriage certificate, or even the public ceremony before family and friends. Rather, after my slow transition into living with my new husband, I brought over and unpacked my precious boxes of books. My carefully curated collection is almost as old as I am, Some pieces older, like my grandfather's silver prayer book, my rainbow colored set of the Mishnah, says every Edgar Allen Poe anthology I have collected over the years and my original copy of Ellie Weasel's Night from ninth grade, the one where I realized those three sentences, in that the town of Seget, Romania, is my town, the one where my grandfather survived from after the Holocaust, and when I found out I was pregnant, I immediately enrolled in an early childhood education curriculum which came with a new set of books to collect for both my classroom and my home. I've since moved on from early childhood education and eventually my children outgrew those books and I had to part with them. Naturally, I thought of my guest today.
Speaker 1:Tanika Smith-Yews is a three-time Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist with 20 years of experience. Over the course of her career, tanika has garnered a reputation for being a key contributor and compassionate newsroom leader. She has a passion for storytelling and community engagement, but mostly Tanika is a youth literacy advocate. She's the driving force behind Tanika's Books for Kids, an annual book collection initiative that's put nearly 30,000, that's right, 30,000 free books into the hands of the world, the hands of local children. Hi, tanika, hi, thank you for having me, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:It's nice to meet.
Speaker 1:It's finally right. I feel like we've been friends for a very long time. In my head, yeah same. So I want to share that. Even more precious than any Kansy man in any community to me is the book lady, and so when I had to part with those books, it was really, it was emotional for me. And so when I sorted through them and I looked at Ben, I said, oh my gosh, I need you to call Tanika and see, even though it's not that time of year, will she accept the books?
Speaker 2:And you said you give me a book, I want to find it a home, and I was looking forward to those books. And we took the books and we found them home.
Speaker 1:So, so lucky to know you. So you're a storyteller and I'm a storyteller. This season is, in fact, called from personal story to public impact, so I want to hear your story. Where do you come from? For the people that raised you, what were the core values that shaped Tanika Smith Hughes, this powerhouse, this icon that I see before me, whose care is for the babies of our community?
Speaker 2:Oh, my heart is with the babies. Thank you so much for that beautiful introduction. So I am from a little town called Whitaker's in Eastern North Carolina and all my family still lives in North Carolina and the location when I tell people you won't know. You've never heard of it. Most people haven't. It's about an hour east of Raleigh and if you get on I-95 from Jacksonville and go seven hours north you're going to run into my town, exit 150, whitaker's, about 30 minutes from the Virginia border. What's the best restaurant in?
Speaker 1:town, the gas station. There you go, guys. I'm directing you all to exit 150, to Whitaker's, to the gas station. Tell them, tanika sent you.
Speaker 2:I grew up eating gas station food.
Speaker 1:I don't know why you're laughing. Ben Becker, to this day, swears that the best hummus in the world is at a gas station in Israel called Ahmad and Salim. So you two are in good company.
Speaker 2:I grew up eating gas station food. We had a little joint in town that closed down that sold pizzas and subs, and we also had a Stuckies. Do you are you familiar with that? It's like a gas. It was like a gas station.
Speaker 1:I've heard of the.
Speaker 2:Stuckies and they would have these pecan logs and stuff. I think the Stuckies is actually still there. Not a lot of them left, but so the dessert spot is stuckies, got it.
Speaker 2:Okay, gas station, hot dogs, um so, very small town. We had like just one stop, like right in the middle of town. Less than a thousand people live there today and about a quarter of them are so right now live under the poverty line. My family, I come from very humble beginnings. I don't come from wealth or just opportunity that was handed to me. So, yeah, just a little tiny town. I was, uh, grew up, raised by my mom Her name's Doris, yeah and my grandmother, martha, who passed away in October at the age of 104 and nine years. And those women, um, they are my world and they raised myself. I have an older sister and older brother and a younger sister.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to start by saying may your grandma's memory be for a blessing and always, always bring a smile, because I want to delve a little bit deeper into this woman and her story and how that led to the next generation. What we think of in my community is Lador Vador. From generation to generation, it's the stories and it's the messages that inherently helped to create where we see we speak to our children the way we want them to be. So talk to me about those women.
Speaker 2:And you know and I want to talk about them, but actually I didn't answer the last part of your question about what they kind of instilled in us and I would say just the sense of love and connection with one another. We were very tight knit. My father died when I was 11 months old and so I didn't know. I have a strong relationship with that side of the family. So those women were like our core and, I think, a sense of togetherness and just unconditional love to service. I would see them come to the rescue in aid of not only family members but other people in the community and I just think authenticity. They never shied away, like from who they were in our circumstances or you know where they come from and where they come from my family of sharecroppers.
Speaker 2:I grew up in the rural South in North Carolina. So those images that you know people read about or see in books and you know when we're learning about the civil rights movement and these, these different things, that's the climate that my, my mom, my aunt that came from. My grandmother was born in 1918. So you think about the things that she endured, she experienced, and they were sharecroppers and as a child we were even able to go back to that county, halifax County, where my mom was raised, and they would take us and show us these are the fields, this is the house that we used to live in and you know, we came out here, this is where we picked back on. They have those memories of those summers and working and doing that and that's how they earned a living. And so just very strong, strong women, and sometimes saying strong women, you know that's something that I think we've dissected over the years and what that means, and sometimes to women's detriment.
Speaker 2:But the things that they endured and some of the resilience that they were able to pass on to me and, like I said, never any shame in in who we are and what we come from. And I think another thing they really instilled in us is really placing value on what matters. Some things just don't matter to me, so a lot of material things don't necessarily matter to me, but like what really matters in your life and in the lives of people around you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's glass balls and there's rubber balls. The glass balls we protect and we hold dear and the rubber balls they get to bounce. They get to bounce around us and as soon as we know which are the glass balls, well, that helps to reframe our energy so that we can use that servant's heart that you've taught me that expression, so I want to talk about that. So these women, these Smith women, they come from a history of sharecropping. When I shared that I was meeting you today and I told my son, who's 11, you know, and this is the history, and he was like, wait, like like in the history books, and we talk about this.
Speaker 1:The reason this is important to me is we're not that far removed. We're less than a century from when these experiences took place. And what dramatically enhanced the opportunity of people came from those backgrounds and communities and I come from Holocaust survivors is the message that reading and writing is going to take you where you need to go. So I remember you telling me about your aunt Faye. Yeah, and she was a school teacher and a librarian. Yes, did you have a library in your town?
Speaker 2:I did. I have a. They still is still there. It actually recently got damaged during the storm. A tree, part of a tree. What a one room library. And let me tell you, susie, growing up I, I learned to read at a very young age. We were fortunate that we have books at home and arts and crafts, and I remember reading, having the Toad Child Crafts series and the highlights Wow, the highlights. I remember that. And the World Book Encyclopedia. I was at a school once and I talked about using the encyclopedia and a kid was like you know, you mean Wikipedia and I'm like no, we also.
Speaker 1:it was an old version and I think my dad got its second hand from somebody and it was the whole encyclopedia, from A to Z, and I OK, so I'm going to share that. I was one of those people who read during recess at school. I love to read, I was obsessed with reading and you would get when I would get punished. My mother would take the book out of my hand. That's how she would punish me. Mid paragraph, she would yank it out of my hand because she knew that would affect me greatly.
Speaker 1:So, but you had a library, like I had a library.
Speaker 2:A one room library and an addition to the books and things we had at home. I think I could spell encyclopedia. When I was like three, I remember I would sit and just look at the spines and the covers and flip through the pages, even before I could fully, fully read, but I would be obsessed. And so, when I was maybe like four, I was too young to go to school with my siblings and I would beg my mom.
Speaker 2:I want to go to school and she can't like you can't go to school, girl. And so we had a little routine where we were established where we would walk to our post office because you had your little postal box, and we would walk to the post office which was next door to the library, and so we checked the mail and then my mom would take me to the library and then I would get to read books. And I remember it's a one room library so I read the same books the Curious George and the, where I would look at the highlights and see where's Waldo, and all the different little books and read the same ones over and over again and we had this little library and I remember she used to keep a little wooden basket near the door where she would clip coupons and leave them for families who would come in and you could just grab.
Speaker 2:You know, it might be Raisin Bran or she let us. I remember. You know you picking through the basket trying to find. You know, might be some life cereal or something like that, whittaker, as you said, whittaker's.
Speaker 1:Well, let me tell you about Dipmiss Avenue in Brooklyn, new York. Same experience I had. There was the same basket with coupons clipped.
Speaker 2:Really yes.
Speaker 1:On the first floor and we had a two floor library upstairs with this children's section. So you and I grew up completely different. Yeah, we're completely different worlds. We read the same Curie's, george's, and we read the same highlights magazines. We looked for the same where's Waldo's? We sniffed the same encyclopedia smells, yes, yes, from Whittaker's to Brooklyn, yeah. So here we are today in scenic Jacksonville, florida, the epicenter of the land of milk and honey.
Speaker 1:Like I said, and I tell people, when Ben got the job here, I said I don't do vils and bergs because I had this idea of what it must be like. And then I got here and eight years later I have grown roots and I'm starting to sprout wings and, much like you, a part of that journey is entering the community intentionally, with a commitment to make an impact. So I want to talk about the books for kids. To Nika's books for kids. Where did that come from? How did that come about? I mean, everybody has an idea, yeah, but not everybody's idea puts 30,000 books a year into children's hands. So talk me through.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's been 30,000 since it started in 2018. And the way it started was I have long gone into read at daycare, churches, community centers, library, whoever will have me. You know I would read to their babies, and so that was something that I just have always enjoyed doing it and I get in there. It's you're going to get voices and expression. I'm one of the leaders.
Speaker 1:Stop right there. I want you to know that nothing, nothing makes me more passionate than a children's book reader who does the voices. And I want you to know, I had Commander Alexa Jenkins, who is one of the top women military commanders of the United States Navy, and she does the voices when she does reading too. You have to, you have to, I have to.
Speaker 2:I love that Because I want the kids, I mean I want them to be in it and I just I get my life when I see them perking up and they're so excited and just really excited. They lean forward, don't they?
Speaker 1:Yes yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, they perk up.
Speaker 2:So I have long done that and so, in addition to reading to kids, I also, you know, would go around from everything from colleges down to, like I said, daycares, talking about the importance of education and the importance of literacy, and so the Jacksonville Public Library I have to say they have been phenomenal partners and at around about 2017, we were talking about I started talking with the library and Chris with the library and the marketing team he's amazing about we started talking what can we do? Because they had their summer reading program and they were trying to figure out ways to, you know, incentivize it and what could they do to, you know, create some, create additional value for the families and the kids that were coming. So we were brainstorming and then this notion of you know what I'm always reading, you know, always talking about the importance of reading why don't we collect books? This is already. This is what I do, you know, because the whole point was twofold we want to make sure kids have books in their hands, because we want to encourage reading. You know, we want to bring it full circle and people take for granted that kids have access to books at home.
Speaker 2:I know you said earlier, some people say, well, why don't you just go to the library? It's not that simple. For a lot of families, the library is an amazing resource. Everybody doesn't necessarily have access to the library at all times, and so we started talking. And then Tanika's books for kids was born and we decided hey, I'm going to solicit folks and say donate books, and then I'm going to give them to you guys and then during the summer you guys can give them out to kids during your summer reading program. And that's how it works. And it's kind of changed over the course of the last few years, but that's essentially the thing. I solicit the books and we collect them and then we give them to the library and then over the summer, parents can children get them for free.
Speaker 1:So this reminds me exactly of what connected me to my local public library. It was the promise of free books. So I want to touch on something that was always very sensitive to me. I said at the top of the show that I come from two immigrant parents. I'm actually the first person in my family born in this country, and so every year there would be the Scholastic Book Fair. We didn't have money for Scholastic Book Fair and there were certainly children who came and they got the posters and they got the books. For someone like me, that was like my dream, my fantasy.
Speaker 1:So, just like what you said, we have so many things today that. Do you remember the Jetsons? Did you ever watch the Jetsons? That was the future. That was actually now. That's today, and in that we had robots that clean, like my Roomba and I don't actually have a Roomba, just to be clear. I am the Roomba but we had video chat. Now we have hoverboards now, but we still have to knock on doors and you have to solicit books for kids. So how is it that the future means we have hoverboards and Roombas, but not every child can get a book in their hand? And, like you said, it's the promise of that free book that got me reading so that I could get to the next free book. And that's where I got to the library and I made my way. And it was harder some days than others when I moved off of Dittmus Avenue right, but still the library became the heart and soul of what propelled me to learn more, to know more. So talk me through a little bit about the opportunities that Tanika's books for kids offers.
Speaker 2:So, like I said, it serves two purposes. One, we want children to have access to books so they can have their own little libraries at home, because not all children have books at home, not all children have age-appropriate books at home.
Speaker 1:What about reading?
Speaker 2:And then that's the second part. We want children to read. We give the books out in the summer because we want to prevent that summer slide Well, where kids lose two to three months of what they learn because they're out of school. But when you think about reading, you think about literacy and the general impacts that it has on your life and your success, and I had wrote a blog post that I pulled up from a while back and where I was trying to just kind of drive it home. So this is just one example. Researchers found that, on a childhood, 25 books in the home on average will finish two additional years of school than a child who doesn't. And then, if you think about it, you, coming from an early childhood education background, cognitive and abilities, your ability to speak and just comprehension skills so much comes from your ability to read and write in terms of your success.
Speaker 1:So can I tell you some of the things that even before the reading and writing that books will affect.
Speaker 1:And I'll tell you this I didn't notice this, but we did birth to okay. The reason why early childhood education was important to me is because I didn't like kids. When I found that I was pregnant, I looked at Ben and I was like, oh no, because that wasn't my plan. So I had to learn really quickly what I needed to know, from birth to five, and I figured I'd wing it past that. But even holding the book in their hand from birth to a year, the fine motor skills of turning the pages, the recognition of that spine of the cover, of the dexterity that their fingers were getting and the familiarity with the book by the time that child turned a year or two years old, they reached for the book and they knew about the turning of the pages by the time it was ready to be read to them. They understood what their role in it was to point or to flip the pages. So share with me a little bit more about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I love that you said that, because for Tanika's books for kids we solicit books for we say zero to 18. Wow, so it could be a soft cover book, something they could touch, crinkle, those little cute, little baby books you see the Dollar Tree, they have the plastic ones that you can shoe on.
Speaker 1:By the way, that's not a joke, that's a fun, fun thing.
Speaker 2:So yeah, we solicit books from birth to 18. So everything from those little squishy baby books up to chapter books, because you're exactly right of the impact of physically holding a book, the visual association with words, color shapes, different things and also, in addition, of course, babies can't read. The important element in all of this, and this has also been a push city wide, because we're seeing the reading scores with our third graders not where they should be, but having an adult or someone around you read to you, because that's also where that's a critical component of how those skills are developed Hearing other people say those words and building that association and I think, just that general comfort level and enjoyment for books. And I think that's why when I read I try to go all in, like I'm all in, because I know that's an opportunity. It's not just for a child to be entertained but for them to get so much more out of that experience of me reading a book to them. It's so important that we have adults reading to the children in their lives.
Speaker 1:So I'm imagining, I want you to take me through one of those Tanika's books for kids reading events, because I am just imagining you walking in and I mean you're famous. So right away these kids are clearly like ah, by you, because you make an impact and you have a smile that lights up a room. You have an authenticity that permeates off of your aura. So when you walk in and you get on the level with these kids and you engage with them, how do they engage back with you? How do you pull out of them their hopes, their dreams, what their connections are to the love of reading that you so clearly radiate?
Speaker 2:For me it's important in any space that I go in is unless you just sit, I get on the level with them. I'm going to crouch down, I'm going to sit down, you know. Whatever I want to be, you know in their space and I'll go around the room and I usually no matter their age range. I'll either ask them their names or one of my favorite things to do is I love to ask them what they want to be when they grow up. And when a child tells me they go it could be 30 kids and as they're going around saying their names, I'll repeat their names back. If they give me an answer to what they want to be when they grow up, I'll repeat it back because I want to have just that moment of that eye contact and that connection so they can know in this moment like I'm listening to you, I see you, I hear you, and so one of the things that I do is I ask the kids what they want to be when they grow up and I'll hear all kinds of things.
Speaker 2:I want to be a basketball player. I want to be a chef. Someone told me they wanted to be. You know, I hear I want to be a superhero I want to be. One little boy said I want to be a cartoonist for the New York Times. And so the way I try to bring it home and on a level that they can relate to.
Speaker 2:As I say, you want to be a chef? Well, guess what? You want to be a basketball player. You want to be a singer and actress whatever it is that you want to be, you need to know how to read and write. And I just kind of connected hey, you want to play sports. You got to know how to read the playbook. Oh yeah, you want to be a chef. You got to figure out how to read or write recipes. You want to be an actress or an actor? How are you going to learn your lines? You got to know how to read and write. And so I try to just bring it home to that simplistic level of them. Understanding just the impact of this is a skill set that you need. That is critical for life.
Speaker 1:Let me just explain to you that, as a mother, it never occurred to me to use your method with my kids. What usually I do is I told you to do it and it's your homework. It didn't occur to me that had I connected on the, and I've done it with the classroom, right. Clearly it wasn't at circle time that I had that obstacle, but with my own children. So you are sharing methods and ways for me to connect with my own family and the importance of that reading. So let me ask you this right, you said something statistically about how many books are in the home. Anything about people being read to, because I kind of feel like when my daughter became old enough to read by herself, I sort of saw that as my loophole out of bedtime routine. Are you suggesting that I should not stop reading to her Because I like I wouldn't? I wouldn't mind doing it, but it didn't occur to me that. You're right. Maybe it enhances the experience.
Speaker 2:I think it's a mix of both. I think as they continue to get their little wings, they develop that sense of independence. Another thing is to sometimes, when children don't like to read, necessarily finding things that they connect to or and or are interested in and then showing them there's literally a book about everything and helping them to connect to things that they're interested in. So they'll seek out those books and so, I think, reading to them until they're able to do it on their own, and then periodically. It doesn't have to be an everyday thing, because research says that you children should be reading or read to 15, 20 minutes a day and that has tremendous impacts. So I would say, just get in there periodically, because you also want to make sure your kid is on track, just because they're reading or they pronounce some words properly, or let them read and then come back and have like a little book report, tell me what the story was about to make. Are they comprehending?
Speaker 2:Oh, wow so they're just different techniques you can do to kind of get involved but still give them that sense of independence and then give yourself a break because you didn't have five, six seven years of reading to the babies, but it is important that we get in there and just make sure that our children are on track and also that helps you to understand what their takeaways are.
Speaker 2:And how are they experiencing books and the experience of reading? Is it challenging for them, is it frustrating for them or is it fun? And that's another opportunity to bond. Go into the library or go into a local bookstore or ordering a book or finding those ways that they connect and things that they enjoy.
Speaker 1:I love it, so I know that I have a deep commitment to our community, and I serve as a volunteer in committees, which means that you probably have to do the same thing. Are there any institutions or agencies for which you give back more than any other that you would say?
Speaker 2:My big thing my baby is sneakers, books for kids and because it's a, we do that drive in the spring, right, but I'm kind of the book lady all year round and so people send me books. I have so many like local authors and people from all across the country who I have books on my desk right now. Really, yeah, the last people. Some people say, well, what are you reading? I'll, it's children's books. I can't even remember, like I'm always buying books, but the last thing I read was probably a children's book. And so that's my baby, that's my big thing. But it's kind of turned into its own animal, so to speak, and people will send me books all year round. And sometimes people reach out to me from daycares, even schools over the years and say, hey, do you have any books that you could give my kids? Because they know me as the lady who collects books, you're the book lady To give out to kids.
Speaker 2:And so another element that that's a part of what I do which has kind of been quiet, I haven't really publicized it is I'm on the advisory board, volunteer advisory board for the first coast child protection team. They come in and they basically provide supplemental support to law enforcement investigations, dcf investigations when it comes to children who have been abused or neglected, and so I became an advisory board member. Paige Kelton, who used to work here, she was there and as she left she suggested hey, tneka might be somebody who could come in. And so I came in and, through my discussions with Dr Randall and Valerie Stanley, trying to figure out in my head, I'm like what, how can I contribute to this? Because they have a number of needs. You think about children who come in who are in a situation of abuse or neglect. Sometimes they need food, sometimes they need new clothes to put on, to change into snacks and just different things. So, by the way, if you ever consider giving, that's an organization that you could also consider reaching out to and finding out what needs.
Speaker 1:I have Right in the show notes and just so you know, they should always have access to and they do have access to the Fannie Landworth clothing closet at JFCS, where I volunteer time, and that's literally what the closet was designed for. It was for the social workers who have to come and they grab everything that a child might need brand new underwear and socks and clothing that they might need because they've been removed, with the clothes on their back and nothing more.
Speaker 2:Exactly so.
Speaker 2:they have several amazing community partners, but the need's always going to be there, unfortunately, and so the conversation was kind of like well, what can I do, what can I contribute as a volunteer advisory board member and I'm like books and so when children come in who've received services particularly for sexual abuse, they're able to go home with the book from Tanika's books for kids. Basically, a stat established book nooks across their eight counties and put books in there. So when they go and they have this experience that's uncomfortable or traumatic, that book, I hope, can provide some sense of comfort and normalcy or some level of escape from that moment or what they might be facing. They can dive into that book and kind of just put their intention and attention on that book.
Speaker 1:It sounds to me like you're creating a safe space. That book nook I hear the word and I envision like a cocoon. That's where somebody who's experienced tragedy or trauma can go. And with that book there's a suspension of disbelief. You can literally take yourself to a different space, a different place. You can remove your mind and, in your imagination, be elsewhere. And you've provided them the security right A blanket and a book. And when you think of the most basic needs, the Maslow's hierarchy of needs and it's that first level that shelter, food security in one fell swoop a book nook gives them that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they can pick the book of their choice and for me I'm like that's a small thing that I can contribute to a child or family facing that kind of situation. Again, that's not something that's widely publicized and I'm okay with that part.
Speaker 1:But it's so appreciative, it's so thoughtful and considerate and compassionate and I think that's at the very essence of everything that defines you. It's the compassion, something about you sees something and says something, and it comes from those Smith women that stand up and speak out, and I know that personally and privately. We've talked a little bit about living through desegregation. They've explained to you and their history of why it was important and impactful that you know who you are, and what I tell my children is who you are and who's you are right, so that you're a child of God and you know that part of what you're called to do is serve.
Speaker 1:So we talked a little bit about your servant's heart and, like me, that is a very draining topic sometimes. So I want to know people like us, people with a servant's heart, can burn out. We're not only sensitive to and aware of the need, but feel a sense of urgency in addressing and abating what is fractured in our community or in society. So let's talk about preservation. Right, the struggles you see, commitment versus over commitment, advice that you would give to people like us, who see something and immediately want to get involved with everything how do you keep it together?
Speaker 2:I think, for starters, I have had connections to different things and events and causes and organizations in the community. Some of that comes with the territory. Right, you're married to a broadcast journalist, so you know he's going to emcee something or be a part of something. Some of that comes with the territory.
Speaker 1:Some of that is violent, told it's not authentic. He doesn't help do it, it's his job.
Speaker 2:Yes. So some of that is we're violent told. Some of that is you know people reach out and we don't mind doing it and we want to help to amplify causes. I think one thing is latching yourself onto things, organizations that really speak to your passion. For me, youth literacy, doing anything with the babies, that's where I'm at.
Speaker 1:That's my zone.
Speaker 2:That's my sweet spot. And so finding those causes that really speak to your heart, I think that's first, and then, I think, asking for help and knowing who the people are that truly support what you're trying to do, especially if you're getting in there kind of driving it. You know, I have some people over the years that have been essential to the success of books for kids, and we're small but mighty army, even though we're at a news station. There are a few people who, like Brittany Austin, my girl Heather she's not an action news jacks anymore, but she used to edit every commercial that you saw and she they would be so packed, she just be so passionate about it. You know just a little small, mighty army who believed in it, who believe in it. And so finding those helpers along the way who support you, but also knowing when to take breaks and, because it can, when you have a natural, when your natural instinct is to give, give, give, give, you can tap yourself out.
Speaker 2:And so I used to feel a lot of guilt, sometimes, telling organizations and people know when I couldn't do things. I would feel so guilty. And sometimes you know we do do things on our weekends, or we spend our own time and resources or gas or whatever to go places. A lot of the things that we do, it's not necessarily funded or covered, but especially the things that we're really passionate about. A lot of times we're just out there doing it on our own because we want to, and so knowing when to say no and knowing how to just kind of take breaks and get somewhere and sit down when you need to because you can, it can be draining, it really can be draining.
Speaker 2:Everyone is something you're passionate about. That passion keeps you going and makes you want to go do it. But that same passion, it kind of can have a reverse effect after a while, especially if you're fighting for a cause that you don't feel like it's being supported, like it should, and that can really take a toll on you as well, because then you feel like am I the failure? Is this a failure? Is it worth doing? Is it worth pushing forward? So you have to learn how to kind of just sit down and take a beat to process recalibrate, sometimes reframe what your intention is, your passion, your purpose.
Speaker 1:And here's what I've discovered over the years that, like I said for me, I ask myself will it please God, is it good for my family, will it make me happy? And the answers come in that order, right, because if it won't please God, the answer is no. If it's not good for my family, the answer is no. If the first two are yes, but it's not going to make me happy, well then the pause and reflection part of this. So that is some real wisdom that you're sharing for a whole new generation of what we're talking about philanthropists.
Speaker 1:It's not just the treasure, it's time and talent. You're committing an addition, and I know this comes out of your pocket, the book's nooks, and I know that you're probably doing what I'm doing, which is funneling as much of community impact work out of our own pockets that we can, because sometimes it's harder to, it's easier to just do it than to ask for the subsidy or for the support. So my last question is in terms of support, when is Tanika's books for kids, officially or unofficially? Are you always accepting books? Are there always homes for books? And do you accept sponsorships and donations Go?
Speaker 2:Okay, so the biggest partner we work with is the Jacksonville Public Library. They are the direct beneficiary of Tanika's Books for Kids. My station Action News Jacks, has supported my drive, obviously, and we also have a family-focused partners who also support our drive, and those partners include places like the YMCA, First Floor to Credit Union, Beaver's, Toyota, H-Everley Publix and Wolfson. Those are our family-focused partners.
Speaker 1:Anybody who wants to hop on that bandwagon. Hey, here's my violin told my violin told find 10 children's books to donate or go online and support Tanika's Books for Kids with a donation and, most importantly, to promote literacy. I want you to walk around and see everybody that you know and every kid that you know, and I want you to ask them do you have a book? Do you have a new book? Do you have a book you haven't read yet? If the answer is no, do something about it.
Speaker 2:So go ahead, Do something about it. And yes, the book drive is, the big part is in the spring, but I will never turn down a book because the need is there every single day in communities from the beaches to Baldwin. Every single day there's a need and there's a kid's life that could be changed by a book, and so you always have an opportunity to do that and feel that void, because people take for granted that, oh, day cares have books, or schools have books or libraries have books. They don't always, and so that's an amazing opportunity for you to give. So, of course, anyone who wants to join in any corporate sponsors, anyone who's interested in helping to just bolster this and help us grow. We've had some amazing community partners, everybody from law firms, churches, local authors who give and have committed to give to me every single year to make this drive successful. So I won't turn down the help. I won't turn away the helpers. This is something that I would love to see grow. I think it should grow because the need is there and I feel like we're gonna. I just think it has such an impact and when I think of what it could be, that makes me excited. And so anyone who's willing to come and share in that vision, and I wanna shout out Dewan Smoot and his wife, amari Smoot, jacksonville, jackward. Dewan Smoot I saw them at an event for Don't Miss a Beat, an amazing local organization that you should also check out with the talented, phenomenal children.
Speaker 2:Shout out to Gwen Owens and Ulysses Owens. But I met Amari and Dewan at that event and I just said, hey, I'm about to launch my book drive for 2023, would you be willing to be in the commercial? Instantly they said yes, and then they invited us to their home to film that commercial and read. You know, they were reading to their babies. They have a son and daughter and they just were amazing.
Speaker 2:But they instantly said yes and so asking for that help, and they were excited, they shared to do it to be a part, because they said, you know, we read to our kids. This is real life for us, this is something that's important to us, and to be able to showcase their family and to do this and support this cause. They were so happy to be behind it, so they were just as excited about it as I was to have them, and so I was just so honored to have them participate, but it was just because I simply asked would you be willing to put your name or just be a part of this? And they were like yeah, and so I just thought that was very special and, like I said, and that's on top of all the people who every year just really rally behind this cause. But yeah, give me, I'm about the books for the babies. If you're about that, come on and reach out.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, my gosh. Well, thank you so, so much for coming on and talking to us about books, about literacy, about the babies and about the power of using your voice to amplify the purposes that you are most passionate about.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. And can I add one more thing? I think that for me, when I go in and I read to these children, it's bigger than just me sharing a book or having a fun story time. I also am keenly aware that my presence someone seeing me and sharing who I am and where I come from matters. And I don't necessarily refer to myself as like a role model, even though I know some people may see me as that. I feel like I am a possibility model and I hope that by being there and those kids see me and they know where I come from, that they see that it's possible for you too, because my circumstances coming from a single parent home living and coming from low income family and all these different circumstances, being a young black girl in the rural South people could count you out on paper.
Speaker 2:Someone can look at your background and say what did she think she's doing? And that was the story that my family was told a lot of times, that we weren't gonna be much. That was kind of the narrative that was put on them. And I think that for me, those books, they open my mind to the possibilities, the endless possibilities of the world around me and that's why it's so much deeper than that for me. Education and literacy changed my life and it's what that love of reading and writing as a child put me on the path to become a journalist, and now some 20 years of doing it, and so if I can pass that same gift on to kids and they open that book and just discover their own power, that does it for me. So that's the kind of the backstory and my ultimate personal connection to all of this the showing people and young people the possibilities that exist and also hoping that they can unlock their own power through books, just like I did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not just the word knowledge, it's the world knowledge. Thank you for everything you do, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me. Now it's time for our honorable mention. Mench is the Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor, with a sense of what is right and responsible. Known as the mother of Jacksonville's children, sharon Kuhn has devoted more than 50 years to her passion making a difference in the lives of youth and of single parents living in economically deprived communities. A native of Greenville, florida, kuhn grew up in Jacksonville and graduated from New Stanton High School. She attended Westchester County Business College in New York. She is the widow of US Army veteran James Lee Kuhn Sr and mother of Felicia and James Jr. She established Tots and Teens, florida's first multidisciplinary arts program, recognized by the Florida State University and the US Department of Education as a national model program. She has volunteered with numerous school and youth organizations and, through the National Council of Negro Women, established the first summer youth employment training for public housing youth.
Speaker 1:An advocate for the Jacksonville Public Library System, kuhn organized a community campaign to help save the Brentwood Branch Library from closing when it was on the chopping block due to budget cuts. A few years ago, she formed the Friends of the Brentwood Library and served as its president for the first two years. She is active in the Friends today and cautions that our community should not underestimate the value of libraries, especially in the urban core where everyone may not own a computer or be able to afford the internet. Sharon believes and I passionately concur that quote libraries are essential. It's like having a roof over your head. It offers a lot of opportunities for children to use free internet and check out books. There are many programs that enhance all generations, from kids to senior citizens, and it's important to those applying for jobs. As part of her lifelong commitment to the community, kuhn volunteers endlessly and, with her servant's heart, she is committed to preserving the legacy of her son, james, florida's congressional scholar who tragically lost his life and whose last words let me live so I can finish college are preserved on the campus of UNF.
Speaker 1:If you know of someone who is the kind of mensch who should get an honorable mention, send me a note at schmoozewithsuesorg or drop me a line on Instagram. That's going to do it for us today. Thanks for sticking around. Make sure to subscribe to Schmooze with Sous on YouTube and follow me on Instagram to get your daily dose of chutzpah. I'm Sous. You're well-informed smartass who's not afraid to stand up and speak out. Because what's an envelope, if not for pushing hey, stay inspired and inspiring.