It’s my pleasure to welcome author, educator, attorney, and motivational speaker Dr. Artika Tyner to Frog on a Blog. Artika designs programs to drive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives for companies and organizations of all sizes from Fortune 500s to startups and grassroots groups.

Artika is passionate about inspiring social change, which includes closing the literacy gap, and one of the many ways that she does that is through writing children’s books. Artika has published more than 30 children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. Since we’ll only be mentioning a few today, I encourage you to seek out Artika’s other wonderful books. Let’s get to know Artika!

Tell us a bit about your picture book Justice Makes a Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire. Why was this story important for you to tell?

A.T.: Justice Makes a Difference was a story important for me to tell since it allowed me to reflect on my childhood and inspiration for becoming a civil rights attorney. I chose my grandmother as the central character since she taught me about leadership and challenged me to lift my voice for justice. She exemplified the best of servant leadership by ministering to the needs of the sick, poor, and those with unmet needs. She was not concerned about position or title. She simply expressed a willingness to be a blessing in the lives of others. Her example guides my daily work as an author, educator, lawyer, and community advocate.

You have written over 30 books for children from nonfiction and biographies to fiction and readers. Which type of book do you most enjoy writing? Please share two or three of your favorites.

A.T.: I enjoy writing nonfiction books related to Black history, culture, and heritage. My education was missing many chapters of Black history. Therefore, I never had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the richness of American history. Each day, I am discovering new dimensions of the impact of Black innovators, creatives, and disruptors.

My recent books are two favorites. I wrote my first graphic novel, The Courageous Six Triple Eight. It celebrates the legacy of the all-Black female battalion that served an instrumental role in World War II. They organized millions of pieces of mail. They were guided by the mantra: “No mail, low morale.” Their efforts served as a vitally important connection between soldiers abroad and their families.

The Untold Story of Annie Turnbo Malone: Hair Care Millionaire is another favorite. While writing this book, I was inspired to continue my work as an entrepreneur. Ms. Malone created jobs for the community and empowered women around the world to be their own bosses. She also modeled excellence in philanthropy by investing in education and supporting children in need.

How does your experience as a civil rights attorney influence you as a children’s book author?

A.T.: My experience as a civil rights attorney influenced my work as a children’s book author. I decided to write for justice and inspire youth to discover joy in reading. This is personal and important to me because as a civil rights attorney, many of my clients learned how to read in prison. This is unacceptable but somehow we created a RULE OF 4:

1 in 4 American children are not reading at grade level by 4^th grade.

If you are not reading at grade level by 4^th grade, you are 4 times more likely to drop out of school.

And here’s the connection, you are also three and a half times more likely to be arrested during your lifetime.

This is UNACCEPTABLE. This is an opportunity for change. Where we can create new pipelines for the future and work to end mass incarceration.

Tell us about Planting People Growing Justice Press and its mission.

A.T.: Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) was founded in 2017 to address the community’s concerns regarding the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration. I witnessed these concerns firsthand as far too many of my clients learned to read while in prison. Characterizing this as a miscarriage of justice, I brought the community into my living room to create a solution to the tangled web of mass incarceration which has far too many entry points and very few exit points. Together we designed a literacy campaign to strategically bridge the literacy gap by promoting diversity in books. Those of us involved in the solution remain actively involved today sharing the gift of reading and learning with children of color who live at the margins of society as we did.

MISSION: With a mission to plant seeds of social change through education, training, and community outreach, we work to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and end mass incarceration by bridging the literacy gap through intergenerational reading circles. We do that by helping Black children discover joy in reading by promoting literacy and diversity in books, supporting leadership development at the grassroots level, and building intergenerational circles with a focus on advocacy. Reading is leveraged as a direct intervention to our community’s concerns regarding the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration since there’s a direct connection between reading failure and future incarceration according to the Department of Justice.

Please share some words of inspiration for aspiring children’s book authors.

A.T.: For aspiring children’s book authors, I encourage you to keep writing, exploring, and leading change in our global community.  Here are a few pearls of wisdom:

• Join a writing circle
• Perfect your craft by participating in writing workshops like the ones sponsored by the Highlights Foundation
• Connect with children since they are the best beta readers
• Discover your inner child by unleashing your natural curiosity and imagination

Dr. Artika Tyner is committed to creating a world of inclusive leaders who will meet the pressing needs of today and work towards a better future where racial justice and economic justice reign supreme.  As a motivational speaker, author, and educator, Dr. Tyner helps people of all ages connect with their gifts and develop tangible tools for bringing forth sustainable, durable change in the family, workplace, community or school.  By building and leveraging the tools in The Inclusive Leader she has inspired thousands of people to lead with their own gifts and plant a seed of social change.

Dr. Tyner’s work is grounded in extensive experience as a law and leadership professor, lawyer, social change agent, researcher, and nonprofit founder and leader.  She is well-known as a thought leader, author, and designer of high-profile programs to drive organizational DEI initiatives and create inclusive leaders.  Her impact spans Fortune 500 companies, start up tech companies, healthcare providers, government services and agencies, higher education institutions and grassroots organizations.  

Dr. Tyner is deftly able to ask the big questions, strategically innovate real solutions and then lead the way. She intentionally invests her time and energy in inspiring change and welcomes opportunities to present, collaborate and innovate with key stakeholders seeking to impact social change and do what no one has done before.

To connect with Dr. Artika Tyner, follow these links:

@dr.artikatyner (Facebook)

@artikatyner (Instagram)

@drartikatyner (Twitter)