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#blacklivesmatter IWSG

#IWSG September 2020: Go ahead & skip me this month. Talk’n about #blacklivesmatter here.

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

Optional Monthly Question: If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

I’m not in the right mindset to answer this question or post right now, but I’m here doing the best I can. Here’s a list of black authors I’ve been reading instead: Kwame Mbalia, Ibi Zoboi, Piper Huguley, and John Lewis.

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My insecurity– My voice and all the other black voices will continue to go unheard by the people who decide who gets to live or not. I work hard to improve my writing skills every day, but at the end of the day, my black voice still doesn’t matter.

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Thank you, WEP for the winning award for the long shadow contest. I truly appreciate all the encouragement and support.

Now, on to the personal updates.
Did you read the title of this post? This is your last chance to escape before reading or seeing something that might make you uncomfortable; and yes, I’m going to talk about being black in America.

I’m making a last-ditch effort to follow my dreams but since I’m a realist, I don’t expect much. I try to teach kids that sometimes they just can’t have what they want, and I’m no different. I’m never going to stop dreaming, but at some point, I’ll have to start facing reality. I guess I’ll start after this. (If you can upload pictures to Facebook and want to help me with a virtual book fair to raise money for We Need Diverse Books, check out this link.)


I have no expectations that the world will change anytime soon. My ancestors were dragged to this country against their will and forced to endure labor and treatment not even inflicted on animals. It’s been almost two hundred years since half this country died fighting so people with dark skin could be treated somewhat close to humanely, and to this day, the color of my skin is a threat punishable by death. Yeah, hope your year, decade, centennial, or whatever is going better than mine. As a human being, you deserve better than this.

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Sorry (kind of) to be a downer.
I really do sincerely hope things are going better in your life than the overall situation in this country.
It may take some time, but I promise, I will stop by your blog.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
PJ Colando,
J Lenni Dorner,
Deniz Bevan,
Kim Lajevardi,
Natalie Aguirre, and
Louise – Fundy Blue!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #38).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

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By Toi Thomas

Author and illustrator of children's books, as well as clean adult fiction and nonfiction. Toi is a geek-girl blogger, vlogger, reviewer, and advocate for a healthy reading lifestyle. She finds comfort in faith, family, and creative expression. Toi believes in the dream of world harmony and hopes all your dreams come true.

28 replies on “#IWSG September 2020: Go ahead & skip me this month. Talk’n about #blacklivesmatter here.”

Hi,
First, let me congratulate you once again for your win at the WEP. I was very happy for you.
If you’re interested here are some more books by black authors. I read them in the university I attended and it was a white university in the Deep South and they had an excellent Black Studies Department.
James Baldwin, Another Country, and also his book, Notes of A Native Son, and Richard Wright who wrote short stories among others stories that were internationally and nationally accepted. And let me not forget Ralph Ellison or the poet Gwendolyn Brooks.
I was wowed when I first started reading these authors but it enriched my life greatly and brought about a change in me.
All the best, Toi.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Oh dear, Toi, your voice does matter. It matters to me. We are bond by our humanness. You are precious and valued and heard. I’m going to send positive vibes to you every few moments for the rest of the day. There is power in our stillness. I hope your thoughts give you a rest.

There are so many brilliant authors that I enjoy, and some happen to be black. James Baldwin, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie are just three that I can think of at the moment. All of these vooices are strong and beautiful, and they open a world of ideas from their unique perspective for readers. Give voice to your unique experience, Toi.

You and your voice do matter, Toi! I am beyond belief at what is happening in our country. I may not get the “Black Lives Matter” movement the way you do, but I am 100% behind it. I’ll come back later to check your link. I retired from teaching eight years ago, and it’s the same old story … We need more diversity in children’s books!!! I was a third grade teacher, and I didn’t pull any punches when it came to the Civil Rights movement. I showed the videos, the dogs, the firehoses, the beatings, and the “I have a Dream Speech.” John Lewis is a hero of mine. I did a book-based unit on Harriet Tubman almost every year, every year after I found the book. This country must change. It must eliminate systemic racism; and I’d go after the health system as one of the top things. I’m sure you have a plan to vote! Sending you a big hug and a rainstorm of positive thoughts!

You matter! That you have been made to feel that you don’t is horrible! And that you have been made to feel that you can’t achieve your dreams is horrible! Keep going and don’t give up. Sending hugs and positive vibes your way!

You do matter, Toi. And your stories need and deserve to be told and heard. I’m positive that your words and actions have reached the hearts of many more people than you imagine, and every bit is progress. Congrats on the WEP award! That’s awesome!

I believe your voice and all Black voices matter, Toi. <3

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on your WEP award. You deserve it, and that does prove that your voice is needed and wanted and appreciated. Don't ever give up or let the jerks out there convince you to stop doing what you're doing. You are amazing and talented. Sending all my love and good vibes your way. Take care!

Thank you for your post this month! I love what you said about being a realist but having dreams. I think-well I hope-that when the things that we want align with the things that need to happen, that they do turn from dreams to reality. Especially when enough people get behind it and support it. Congratulations on the contest win!

I understand how you feel. My people were killed, enslaved, and tossed out. I was kidnapped as a young child. Not only was it not illegal, it was encouraged. (That has, thankfully, been changed in my part of America.) We need change. We need it faster than we can make it come.

All this because some people have more natural protection against the sun than others. Violence, hatred, death — all over who has what amount of melanin in their skin. 2020 is a real disappointment. We’ve strayed too far from the utopia we could have, the advanced society we could live in. Such a shame.

Sorry for the late response. Thank you, J Lenni, for sharing your story. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I agree, we do need change. I, unfortunately, don’t expect it in my lifetime. Though, I’d love to be proven wrong.

By Post Author

Toi, your voice is certainly heard at WEP which is why you’ve been chosen the winner twice in a row! No mean feat! Your heartfelt stories touched us more than you can know. Seeing the craziness which is happening in America (and I know it’s gone on so long) makes me cringe at the divide in the country. I totally don’t get people being judged as better or of less worth by their skin color.

And there are certainly some excellent black writers. I love Toni Morrison, Lesley Lokko (Bitter Chocolate), Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, to name a few. I’m not trying to justify anything; just sayin’ Black Writers Matter as well as Black Lives Matter.

Keep up the good work, Toi. I know it’s heartbreaking, but you have a lot of support.

Much love
Denise

Sorry for the late response. Thank you, Denise. I have always felt very supported and welcomed by WEP even before winning the recognition. It’s always been a group that I felt, not only, accepts people’s differences but embraces and values them. Each time I read a story giving me a glimpse into another culture, I appreciate that person being able to share that with me and vice versa. I only wish the rest of the world could appreciate all of us who don’t fit society’s standards of worthy.

By Post Author

Chin up Toi, not easy I know. Keep writing and crying out. Enjoy what makes you happy. Continue to inspire children to read and think for themselves; they are the Future of this world. Congratulations on your WEP win.

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