Panther Baby Author Impacts Students

Jamal Joseph, poet, activist, educator, and author of Panther Baby, spoke with Grade 8 and Grade 10 students on Wednesday about his newly released book. Here are some comments from our students after Jamal’s visit.

Grade 10 student, “The Panther Baby talk was really interesting to listen to. I’ve lived my whole life in Boise, Idaho and have never really been around much discrimination besides what I’ve read in textbooks. It was really awesome to listen to Jamal because it gave me a perspective to what life must be like growing up and being thought of as ‘less’ than everyone else.”

Grade 10 student, “I enjoyed listening to Jamal Joseph due to several different reasons. He was an impressive and enchanting storyteller. He started off by reciting a poem that he had created that had to do with love, truth and creativity and I was hooked immediately.”

Grade 10 student, “His talk about how, with persistence and determination, people can achieve their goals inspired me to something of my own.”

Grade 10 student, “If I could say one thing to Mr. Joseph, it would simply be, ‘thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do for minorities across the U.S.'”

Grade 10 student, “If we know something is not right we have to take action and change it.”

Grade 8 student, “Change isn’t going to happen without any action. You have to work for change.”

Grade 8 student, “I got many things from this, but the most important to me was when he said, ‘You can serve the time or let time serve you.'”

Teacher Andy Johnson, “The best way to realize yourself as a human being is to find connections with other people. The best way to realize this connection is through service” and his exhortation for us to be a “standard bearer for positive talk.”

Thanks to Bruce and Laure DeLaney and Rediscovered Books for sponsoring this visit!