“My brother actually gifted us a set of Black ABCs flashcards for the kids,” he said. “But I had been seeing them online for a while. And also I had found it fascinating for a while. Clearly, people (online) were seeing them aesthetically, mostly as a visual thing, and (the ABCs) obviously had come out of the Black Arts Movement (of the 1960s) and themes that were in the culture in 1970, to inspire confidence and self-determination. But equally important, I thought, were how the ABCs had been this educational tool, for exposing kids to materials that simply looked liked them. Folks might see them as this hipstery, cool relic today, but it’s important to underline: They are a powerful statement.”