August 8, 2017

Dear Journal,

I had the best weekend ever. It was the best because on Saturday I met a really great Professional Problem Solver. His name is Mr. Yusef Bunchy Shakur. He is the founder of an organization called “Restoring the Neighbor Back to the Hood.” They hosted their 11th Annual Backpack Giveaway in Detroit.

My job at the Backpack Giveaway was to host the “Brown Boy Brown Girl Mobile Bookstore.” I met other kids and gave away free books. All you had to do to get a book was to make a craft, and arts and crafts help us be creative and express ourselves. There were some really cool crafts, like making bookmarks and designing book covers. We gave away over 50 books because some very nice people sponsored them. One group that sponsored books was “Brown Girls Read Book Club.” Thank you, Mr. Yusef for sponsoring books and letting me host the mobile bookstore!

Mr. Yusef is a Professional Problem Solver because he saw a problem in his neighborhood and came up with a solution to make things better. He saw that his community was in need of attention, but most of all it was in need of love. He demonstrates what love looks like because giving away backpacks is an act of love.

-Ivy

“Tomorrow is not about me but about us! Tomorrow will show us what every day in our lives should look like! Tomorrow is about hope, love, serving and meeting the basic needs of our people, and by meeting those needs we begin to transform ourselves from social predators to social protectors! Tomorrow is about establishing liberated zones that is influencing liberated people govern by revolutionary values! Tomorrow is about a movement not only of resisting oppression but also building towards our collective liberation! See you tomorrow! #BlackAugust #Servant”

-Yusef Bunchy Shakur