Panel: The Fight for Justice & Truth

Name: Panel: The Fight for Justice & Truth
Start: 2020-11-16T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2020-11-17T18:59:59-05:00
Location: On Demand

Author:

Ibi Zoboi, Dr. Yusef Salaam, Nic Stone

Add to my watchlist

Grades 9 – 12

Introduced by the Miami-Dade County Teen Court.

Punching the Air, a novel-in-verse by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, tells the story of Amal Shahid, who has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white. Suddenly, at just 16 years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?

In Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce, Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University … and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center. Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce – the protagonist of Dear Martin – Quan’s story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there’s a dead cop and a weapon with Quan’s prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.

FREE bonus download: Punching the Air Educators’ Guide

Sponsored by:

Nic Stone

Nic Stone is an Atlanta native and after working extensively in teen mentoring and living in Israel for several years, she returned to the United States to write full-time. Her debut novel for young adults, Dear Martin, was a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of the teen titles Odd One Out, and Jackpot, a love-ish story that takes a searing look at economic inequality. In Dear Justyce (Crown Books for Young Readers), the sequel to Dear Martin, incarcerated teen Vernell LaQuan “Quan” Banks, writes letters to his friend Justyce McAllister about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system. Quan and Justyce grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the halls of Yale University while Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center. Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce — the protagonist of Dear Martin — Quan’s story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there’s a dead cop and a weapon with Quan’s prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure. Booklist, in a starred review, called Dear Justyce “An unforgettable tour de force of social-justice and activist literature.”

Dr. Yusef Salaam

Dr. Yusef Salaam was just fifteen years old when his life was upended after being wrongly convicted with four other boys in the “Central Park jogger” case. After the young men spent years of their lives behind bars, in 2002 their sentences were overturned. The story of the Exonerated Five has been documented in the award-winning film The Central Park Five by Ken Burns and in Ava DuVernay’s series When They See Us. Yusef is now a poet, prison reform activist, and inspirational speaker. Ibi Zoboi novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and a New York Times Notable Book. She is also the author of Pride and My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Punching the Air (Balzer + Bray) is a YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, called it “Award worthy. Soul-stirring. A must-read.”

Ibi Zoboi

Ibi Zoboi novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and a New York Times Notable Book. She is also the author of Pride and My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Dr. Yusef Salaam was just fifteen years old when his life was upended after being wrongly convicted with four other boys in the “Central Park jogger” case. After the young men spent years of their lives behind bars, in 2002 their sentences were overturned. The story of the Exonerated Five has been documented in the award-winning film The Central Park Five by Ken Burns and in Ava DuVernay’s series When They See Us. Yusef is now a poet, prison reform activist, and inspirational speaker. Punching the Air (Balzer + Bray) is a YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, called it “Award-worthy. Soul-stirring. A must-read.”

Panel: The Fight for Justice & Truth