Have you ever thought of what kids think of the police? Until 2020, I had not put much into that question until a viral video of a little girl popped up on my timeline. She was a young Black girl asking a White male officer if he was going to shoot them for attending a protest responding to the death of George Floyd. As tensions grow between Black communications and police from the recent events, I imagined many children being left to determine if they could trust the police.

Motivated by my two nephews at the time and my recent admission into UNCC's Communication Studies graduate program, I wanted to dig deeper into this question. After several months of researching parental racial socialization and combining that with communication studies research, my Capstone project was created - a children's book!

So with the strong approval from my Capstone committee, I present to you my book, "Easy Choices, Hard Choices, and Everything in Between". With the help of my illustrator, Melea Womack, five fictional Black children were created from my vision and her artistic ability. This book shows common dilemmas children experience and gives characters choices that range from asking for help from law enforcement to asking for help from a community member. I also fact-checked the authenticity of these scenarios through two officers that volunteered as consultants. In addition, the parent & guardian guide helps keep the conversation going. While this book, can not erase the fears kids may have, I hope it gives all children the opportunity to talk about how they feel. I am so excited for the chance to share this book with you. I hope the kids in your life enjoy it too. More importantly, I hope kids begin to understand that they too have agency over how they talk to police officers.  

PRE-ORDER the Book today! 

Books will be shipped January 2023