Pick up pen, child author urges
Date: Wednesday, February 08 @ 00:00:00 UTC Topic: Black Habits Articles
A precocious pre-teen
stole the show at a black history
month celebration on Sunday
night by the Jamaican Canadian
Association.
James Valitchka, 11, introduced
as the author of six
books, said awareness of
black history helps people
move toward beauty, power
and success.
“What I don’t get is why
kids don’t put down the gun
and pick up the pen,” he told
an overflow crowd of more
than 1,000 people attending
the special church service at
the association’s centre at
Finch Avenue and Highway
400.
“We have to give young
kids like me a chance to succeed
at school.”
Reading from his latest
book, I’m Not Brown, I’m
Human, the boy also drew
warm applause by saying,
“Life is like a soccer field,”
with everybody playing by
equal rules.
Young people appeared to
be on the minds of dignitaries
after a year of gun violence
that seemed to disproportionately
affect Jamaican
Canadians.
Toronto Police Chief Bill
Blair told the assembly he
was proud that his organization
made some black history
last summer, by promoting
long-serving Barbadosborn
officer Keith Forde to
deputy police chief.
TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
|
|