My 5 questions for you adults.
We, the kids, need answers. #kidlit4blacklives [1] #blacklivesmatter [2] pic.twitter.com/UvlurpHwug [3]— Havana Chapman-Edwards (@TheTinyDiplomat) June 4, 2020 [4]
Havana Chapman-Edwards may only be 9 years old, but she's already an active human rights activist and self-proclaimed "Tiny Diplomat" who is fighting to create change. In addition to founding Girls Have Rights [5] — "a youth-powered global non-profit providing education through diplomacy to eliminate barriers so girls have access to their basic human rights," according to the org's Twitter page — Havana is an active participant in the fight to end racism.
From Germany, where her family is currently living due to her father's work as a US diplomat, Havana has been sharing valuable information online, has attended protests [6], and is creating powerful written art aimed at adults. On June 4, Havana was filmed reciting a poem she wrote, which features five questions she has "for you adults."
"Why do our teachers read books about enslavement but not about Black inventors, astronauts, scientists, dancers, pilots, diplomats, and judges?" Havana starts, adding that she wants to know why, year after year, she never has teachers who look like her, and why leaders only talk about Black Lives Matter [8] when it's close to an election. "When do I go from cute to dangerous?"
Havana poses her last question, asking why she must live in fear that her loved ones may not make it home each day. And these aren't rhetorical questions, the 9-year-old Tiny Diplomat makes it clear: "We the kids need answers."
Watch Havana recite her poem in its entirety in the video above and follow her on Twitter @TheTinyDiplomat [9]. With what Havana's already accomplished by age 9, we can't wait to see what she acheives in the years to come!