Los Angeles, CA “I was shocked after I visited a first-grade classroom and asked the students to name the first Black president,” said author Audrey Muhammad. “I was surprised that many of the students said, ‘Martin Luther King.’” Granted, they were 6-year olds and Barack Obama was President over 12 years ago, but there had to be a way to help keep our history at the forefront.
Why not make rhymes about each? This is exactly what Mrs. Muhammad did. After revising and updating her children’s book, she now has nursery rhymes like “Off to White House,” a rhyme about Obama.
Since many adults grew up with nursery rhymes and can recite rhymes like “Mary had a Little Lamb,” at the drop of a hat, these nursery rhymes were written to be a fun formula to foster love for Black role models including Black millionaires, entrepreneurs, and historical figures. The new Rhymes of the Times: Black Nursery Rhymes book written by Mrs. Muhammad, a former high school teacher, reads like a “Who’s Who” of African American History with nursery rhymes about Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Garrett Morgan, Muhammad Ali, Queen N’Zinga and many more.
If you don’t recognize some of these names, you will after reading this book. The book also helps express cultural pride.
