By Kay Bolden
When Ernest Crim III was a young boy, he asked his mother why there had never been a Black president. Instead of dismissing his question, she responded using words of hope and self-worth–a lesson Crim uses today when teaching, writing, and speaking to Black students.
“My mother said there hadn’t been any Black presidents yet,” Crim recalls with a fond smile, “because they were all waiting for me to grow up.”
Those simple words made a profound impact on Crim’s view of the world. “My mother was telling me that she believed in me. That I had greatness inside me. That Black people are capable of greatness. That’s a lesson I want every Black child to hear.”
Formerly a teacher at Joliet Central High School, and now an Amazon best-selling author and TikTok influencer with over 300,000 followers, Crim stresses the importance of teaching Black children to believe in themselves, and to be proud of their history and culture. “Because we live in a society that is often dangerous to Black people, we spend a lot of time as parents telling our kids what not to do, where not to go, how not to act,” Crim says. “It’s so important that we also tell them how talented they are, and how they can accomplish anything they dream of.”
His latest book, The ABCs of Affirming Black Children, is an illustrated story for younger readers, highlighting the inspirational words of 26 Black artists, activists, scientists, and speakers–one for each letter of the alphabet. With lively illustrations by Janine Carrington, the book is perfect for sparking family discussions about little-known Black history makers.
Crim’s first book, the Amazon best-selling Black History Saved My Life: How My Viral Hate Crime Led to an Awakening, recounted his experience with a hate crime, and how that incident impacted both his teaching and his parenting.
With the achievement gaps between Black and white students growing, both nationally and locally, Crim asserts that Black students must learn their own culture and history to improve their academic progress–a view supported by Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh study, which asserts that Black children who are taught to have racial pride perform better academically. His followers on TikTok regularly engage with his Black history lessons and cultural commentary.
The ABCs of Affirming Black Children is available now on Amazon.
kayb@thetimesweekly.com
