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What a mysteriously beautiful morning

I remember attending Sunday school class one morning at my hometown mosque, sitting at a tiny school desk in a little yellow chair. The teacher said we were ambassadors for Islam, and to behave in a way that made others look favorably upon our faith and upon Muslims everywhere. But I was just 10 years old, 12 at the most. How could I be an ambassador for anything? I shifted in the hard plastic seat that I would soon outgrow.

It’s decades later, and the top Republican contender for president has declared, “Islam hates us.” Those of “us” who are Americans and also Muslim feel trapped. Even so, we can’t help but wonder what we can say or do to make the madness stop. The message is clear: Islam doesn’t belong in America, though one out 100 people living in the U.S. is Muslim, according to the Pew Research Center.

Learning — And Unlearning — To Be An ‘Ambassador’ For Islam

Illustration: Angie Wang for NPR

dougefresh23-blog

This is an important perspective.

northwezt

SPACE BEAR!

File this under: things I make when bored that aren’t really as cool as I think they are

Tools of the trade #sb2k16 #BillDance #CatchAndRelease #AllAboutThatBass

#catchandrelease #allaboutthatbass #sb2k16 #billdance

berniesanders

Love always trumps hate. #politics #feelthebern (at Miami, Florida)

npr

Marley Dias is like a lot of 11-year-olds: She loves getting lost in a book.

But the books she was reading at school were starting to get on her nerves. She enjoyed Where The Red Fern Grows and the Shiloh series, but those classics, found in so many elementary school classrooms, “were all about white boys or dogs … or white boys and their dogs,” Marley says.

Black girls, like Marley, were almost never the main character.

Last fall, Marley decided to do something about it. She set a goal of collecting 1,000 books about black girls by the beginning of February, and #1000blackgirlbooks was born.

She has far exceeded her goal, with almost 4,000 books and counting. Now, she wants to set up a black girl book club and pressure school districts to change what books are assigned to students. Morning Edition’s David Greene spoke with Marley about her campaign and how she’s handled her success.

Where’s The Color In Kids’ Lit? Ask The Girl With 1,000 Books (And Counting)

Photo: Andrea Cipriani Mecchi

dougefresh23-blog

One of the best stories I've heard in a while. Love this!