Emmanuel Abalo

Juma and His Dog Maxx Emmanuel Abalo

A children's story of how the issue of race almost destroyed friendships on the playground. But the little boy Juma seized an opportunity to get help for his friend Marci who fell and hurt herself. Later, Juma's best friend Butler dismissed the issue of race as a pretext to not play with Juma and instead saw the value of wanting to help regardless of skin color. The story reflects how children can be a "mirror of prejudices" that parents and adults may exhibit around them. Those prejudices can also extend to their social interactions and hurt others.