Family writes book about racism from the perspective of an 8-year-old

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The NBC 4 Today book series returns in July with a deeply personal story about racism, written by a local family, told from the perspective of their daughter who experienced it firsthand.

“Let’s Mix It Up” was written by Emerson, Corie and Anthony Locke.

“This book is dedicated to everyone who has felt different or less worthy,” read Anthony Locke on the book’s dedication page. “Don’t let anyone dim your light. Shine bright and strong, confident and brave.”

These words aptly describe Emerson Locke, a beautiful young girl who has experienced racism from her peers over the past few years, ranging from seemingly innocent ignorance to targeted attacks.

“I went to elementary school here in central Ohio in the ’80s, and it was shocking to me that 30, almost 40 years later, she was experiencing some of the same things I was,” said Anthony Locke.

“I didn’t know what it was at first,” said Emerson Locke. “You want to cry, you want to get angry.”

“And after the last incident, I looked at my husband and said, ‘Hey, why don’t we try to turn something negative into something positive by writing a book about racism from their perspective so the kids can understand how others feel about it,'” Corie Locke said.

While the family was working on the book, something else happened.

“It made me feel stronger,” said Emerson Locke.

“It was a little bit cathartic to be able to put paper in and fill it out, and then when we started really fleshing out the story, I felt like it reached a level of empowerment,” said Anthony Locke. “The art of the possible, like, ‘Wow, this could be really cool to reach people from a child’s perspective.'”

“And I’ve had a lot of conversations with other parents about how we can start a conversation with our kids at such a young age about such a serious topic,” Corie Locke said. “And having conversations with them, just letting them know how they might feel about it, and raising awareness, that’s basically why we wrote the book.”