Author
We Can’t Lose Hope
An engaging social justice Children’s Book that teaches children how to advocate, highlights Black role models, and helps parents have conversations about race and social justice.
Author: Jasmine J. Jenkins, PhD
Bryan, a new kid at the recreation (rec) center, helps the other rec kids practice activism after their teenage leader, Hope, is arrested for allegedly stealing a car. With the guidance of their loving and inspirational rec center leader, Auntie Curl, the children go viral on social media with their hashtag #WeCantLoseHope. They gather support from allies, make protest signs, and march for justice.
The Plot
Do they get Hope released from the youth detention center?
Exposure to Black role models, racial pride, Black history, and other forms of positive racial socialization improve the psychological, behavioral (Caughy et al., 2003), and interpersonal development of Black children (Evans et al., 2012) and offer a protective factor against racial stressors (Harris-Britt et al., 2007). We Can’t Lose Hope contributes to positive racial socialization for Black children and simultaneously equips all children with tools to become activists as they follow the steps taken by kids at a neighborhood recreation (rec) center.
The Research
Publications
Delgado-Romero, E.A., De Los Santos, J., Capielo, C., Jenkins, J. J., & Ingram, R. (2019). Latina/o Americans. In G. McAuliffe (Ed.), Culturally alert counseling: A comprehensive introduction (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Delgado-Romero, E. A., Jenkins, J., & Vazquez, M. (2016). Counseling racial and ethnic minorities. In Neuroscience and Behavioral Psychology online module, Oxford, UK: Elsevier Ltd.
Jenkins, J., Gomez, R., Harper, L., & Romero, A. (2016). Speak up, Lift up, Fall back: What we need from social justice allies. Diverse Issues in Higher Education. http://diverseeducation.com/article/89078/.
Keebaugh, A. C., Barret, C. E., Lapraire, J. L., Jenkins, J. J., & Young, L.J. (2015). RNAi knockdown of oxytocin receptor in the nucleus accumbens inhibits social attachment and parental care in monogamous female prairie voles. Social Neuroscience. 10 (1), 1-10.