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Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter?

Have I told you that we have never, ever accepted that Black lives don’t matter? Not Frederick, Harriet, Sojourner, Martin, Rosa, Malcolm, or Nelson? We have always known and you must remember that Black lives matter. W. E. B. knew that Black lives matter. He preached about Black equality and liberation and would be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us today. Have I ever told you that? Have I told you that we have long been world-acclaimed poets and authors—Zora, Richard, Langston, James, Ralph, Maya, Toni, Ta-Nehisi, and so many others—affirming with powerful voices that Black lives matter? Have I ever told you that?
Shani Mahiri King (Miami, FL) is a law professor at the University of Florida, where he is director of the Center on Children and Families and an Associate Director of the Center on Race and Race Relations. Shani teaches and writes in the areas of international human rights, children’s rights and family law, immigration law, and legal ethics. He is the father of a nine-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son, for whom he wrote the picture book Have I Ever Told You?

Bobby C. Martin Jr (Brooklyn, NY) is co-founder of Champions Design, a branding and design agency in New York City, and faculty member of the graduate design program at the School of Visual Arts, where he earned an MFA in 2003. Bobby’s son was born in 2019 and inspired him to take on this project.
“A must-purchase that will empower Black children and expand all readers’ knowledge of African American history.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“A critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, middle school, and community library Contemporary Social Issues collections.” — Midwest Book Review

“In this bold homage to the Black experience, kids can access a birthright of struggle, excellence and resilience.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“The pages are wonderfully alive with electric hues. The book’s narrative rhythms portray time as a river of swirling currents as opposed to points on a straight line. King’s long view of history connects the past strongly to the present, and vice versa.” — New York Times Book Review

“Black history and culture come alive in this celebratory biography, whose fresh, pop-art style bursts with color and creatively sized and set sans-serif font. This book powerfully reflects current events and attitudes while raising up Black Americans past and present.” —Booklist (starred review)

“The litany is rhythmic and powerful. The historical and contemporary examples of Black excellence effectively build up a sense of confidence and indisputable value before the Black lives cut short by violence are named, so that these acts of violence are seen in proper context as wrongful denial of a birthright.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Testament to how beautiful typography can influence a book’s design. A combination of bright colors, silhouettes, and names decorate the pages, inviting the reader to take it all in. The text is magnificent. It could be used and studied all year long. Absolutely required reading in middle school classrooms.” — The Tiny Activist

“Highly informative, beautifully designed, and accessibly written.” —Boston Public Library 2021 “Black Is...” citation