Ho’s writing for children is light but engaging - and profoundly necessary as parents seek books that are fun to read to our kids while also introducing heroes with a variety of identities, in ways that are easy to grasp. Indeed, as Ho pointed out when we spoke, anti-Black racism and anti-Asian racism are both tools of white supremacy. This column, Raising Antiracist Kids, is not just centered around anti-Black racism. And we know that racism doesn’t begin and end with violence - there is incredible power in words and actions, like calling COVID-19 the “ Chinese virus” or “Kung flu,” creating an environment that condones and encourages discrimination against Asians.

This comes on the heels of an uptick in documented hate crimes against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities - the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, for instance, reports a 150% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020 (it also bears noting that these crimes are often underreported). Tuesday, eight people were killed in a mass shooting six of them were women of Asian descent. It’s also a story - and a message - that couldn’t be more urgent.Īnti-Asian racism has long been a deep issue for this country. Told from the innocence of a child with wonderment and happiness, this story is for every little kid who wants to belong. “Mama’s eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea crinkle into crescent moons when she comes home from work.” In Joanna Ho’s new children’s book, Eyes That Kiss In The Corners, a little girl finds delight, love, and pride in tracing her eyes from her mother’s and her grandmother’s.

Eyes that kiss corners