Once Upon a Kwanzaa: Seven Principles for Everyday Living

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes back author-illustrator Nyasha Williams, alongside her co-author Sidney Rose McCall, to discuss their collaborative picture book, Once Upon a Kwanzaa. Though the two have never met in person, they describe themselves as "deeply ancestral soul sisters" who connected through the adult adoption community online. Together, they explore how the seven principles of Kwanzaa—from Umoja (unity) to Imani (faith)—offer a pathway back to communal ways of being that our world desperately needs.

Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review.

Highlights:

• The Seven Principles Explained: Sidney walks through each Kwanzaa principle and how they apply to everyday life, not just one week a year
• Ten Families, One Vision: How Nyasha and Sidney intentionally represented diverse Black families, including adoptive families, queer families, and multigenerational households
• Everyday Kwanzaa: Why these principles of community, creativity, and collective responsibility are needed now more than ever
• Collaboration as Dance: The process of two writers creating magic through voice memos, memes, and ancestral downloads
• Visibility vs. True Representation: Nyasha's powerful distinction between simply being seen and being truly represented in literature

Notable Quotes:

"Literature and media has such an immense power in shaping our future, in shaping what can be, in imagining what's even possible." —Nyasha Williams

"Community is not just about finding your safe people, but also finding people who you might not have initially considered your safe people." —Sidney Rose McCall

"Empathy isn't a passive word. It requires active participation. It is a relationship that you are building." —Sidney Rose McCall

Books Mentioned:

Once Upon a Kwanzaa by Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud: Amazon or Bookshop.org

About Nyasha Williams:

Nyasha Williams grew up living between the United States and South Africa. As a kindergarten teacher, she was inspired to become an author and activist after a Black student told her mermaids could not be Black. She is the author of four picture books with Running Press Kids, including the bestselling I Affirm Me, and is the author of RP Studio's Black Tarot.

For more: nyashawilliams.online

About Sidney Rose McCall:

Sidney Rose McCall is a historian and community intellectual who combines academic work with activism. She serves on the Academic Committee for the ZORA! Festival of the Arts and Humanities and shares decolonized history lessons through her Patreon platform.

For more: linktr.ee/Rosecolored_Scholar

Credits:

Host: Bianca Schulze
Guests: Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall

Producer: Bianca Schulze

Episode Sponsor:

Mimi and Ary by Rashad Mirzayev: Amazon or Bookshop.org