Words & Banter

Don’t Tell Our Mom How We Responded To COVID-19

Underlying photo by CDC on Unsplash

The coronavirus has changed everything for all of us, and the stories of the first responders and the countless heroes on the front line who are fighting this pandemic never cease to inspire us. But we wanted to do something – anything – to help. But what?

FREE For Educators

So, when educators reached out to us to see if we could provide online resources, telling us they found our print materials (and especially our book) engaging and educational, and their students found it fun and relevant, Black immediately said, "Yes." And when they asked the cost, Black (as the business half of Red & Black), replied without hesitation, "Free."

FREE For Parents

Red knows what it's like to have kids not only home from school, but bored and looking for something to do. She also knows never to tell them something's "good for them." Feedback we've gotten from parents is they've found Red & Black and our assortment of materials provides them with something they can use with their kids or, even better, do together. Plus, parents like that it's engaging and relevant yet requires no prior knowledge or advance preparation (unlike trying to help your kids with algebra).

Want More Information?

To learn more about our free, fun, and easy-to-use resources, including chapter-by-chapter PDF's of our bestselling book (intended as the basis of a sitcom when it was launched by Neiman Marcus, it was approved by the Texas State Board of Education as a textbook!), please go to the resource page we created For Educators.

Photo courtesy of Red’s eldest daughter, Natasha

What does Thanksgiving have to do with shoes?! Or, the fact some of Red’s most memorable Thanksgiving celebrations happened when she lived overseas and introduced the holiday to friends, none of whom were American. But this column from 2022 is bittersweet for Black, as shortly after it ran, her good friend John passed away … yet the memories of Thanksgivings spent together – and of dear friends – live on. (But that still doesn’t explain the shoes …)


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At the risk of asking you a warm and fuzzy question, have you thought about what you’re most thankful for this Thanksgiving?


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Yes.


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I should’ve guessed that you’d take the question literally. Could you expand on that a little, or at least give me a hint?
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Background image by IlijaErceg on iStock

Take a moment and imagine not being able to read this sentence. Now, think about this … if you’re reading this, you’re doing something millions of Americans can’t.


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I’ll admit that I never realized how many people can’t read. It’s something I’ve always taken for granted. That’s until Black and I met someone doing something about it – Jackie Aguilera, now the Project Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Adult Literacy (Houston). Her focus wasn’t only on reading literacy but on “literacies” I’d never heard of, such as financial literacy, health literacy, and digital literacy. But it all starts with the ability to read.


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It is called functional literacy. Obviously, if you are reading this article, you are on the internet. Which has more information than anyone can possibly absorb (and is why news literacy is so critical). Now, imagine if you could not read. All that information … just sitting there. Available to others, but not to you.


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Books are my great escape. Always have been. So, I can’t imagine a life without them.
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Design by Sawyer Pennington, Underlying photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
It’s late October, and for most of us, fall is in the air, which is Red’s favorite season. (It might have something to do with all the pumpkin spice products.) Halloween, which has been “marketed” in stores for months, will soon be over. And Election Day, which has been headline news for what seems like forever, is just around the corner. So, why are we linking to an Independence Day column? And one from 2020, no less?


Because now is the time to decide what direction we want to take our country. RED & BLACK … A Time For Independence is about the spirit of independence. And four years later, we feel it’s very sad (and very scary) that our sentiments about our country’s leaders having the strength, courage, and conviction to be independent thinkers are still relevant. Maybe even more than ever before.