In Partnership with: 

A family-oriented event featuring a reading of the best-selling kids book Hands Up!, a Q&A with author Breanna J. McDaniel, and interactive anti-bias and allyship activities for families. 

Recommended for ages 4-10 and their grown-ups.

Featuring:
Breanna McDaniel, Author of best-selling kids book Hands Up!
Naima Carter Russell, Actress and book advocate @DramaMamaReads
and Maya Lawrence, Alliance Theatre’s Allyship Program Director

Sunday, October 25th at 3pm EST

	Breanna J. McDaniel is the author of the picture book Hands Up!, a book reviewer, education consultant and researcher. She holds an MA in Children’s Literature from Simmons University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge with research focused on representations of black children in contemporary picture books. She’s the co-founder of Researchers Exploring Inclusive Youth Literature (REIYL) and though she’s originally from Atlanta,GA she now splits her time between the US and UK.
	Naima Carter Russell is a proud Atlanta actress and a FSU Alumnus with a BA in English and a minor in black studies. She is a Suzi Bass Award winner for her role as Felicia Farrell in Memphis (Aurora Theatre /Theatrical Outfit). She was last seen on the Alliance theatre stage in Pearl Cleage’s The Nacirema Society…and Christmas Carol. Naima is a passionate advocate for diverse books and believes in the power of normalizing Black joy to change a generation. She shares her book recommendations and the drama of mothering 2 girls @DramaMamaReads on Instagram. Also check out her brand new blog at www.itsthedramamama.com
	Maya Lawrence is a NYC born- Atlanta based multidisciplinary artist, specializing in theater, performance, and poetry. As an actor, teaching artist, and facilitator with an audience range from newborns to as long as one can be alive, she uses her superpowers of creativity, curiosity, and compassion to facilitate theatre-based experiences rooted in Anti-Bias work for youth, families, corporations, and organizations in pursuit of becoming the most authentic and empathetic versions of themselves. She is a proud Spelman College alumna, the Inaugural Spelman Leadership Fellow, and now Artist-in-residence/ Allyship Program Director at the Alliance Theatre. Maya is on a mission to liberate the world through art using radical Love to light the path.

See additional conversations and events taking place as part of the HANDS UP ATLANTA: Art & Activism series.