Description: Out of the ashes and rubble of the Watts Rising in South Central Los Angeles in the mid-1960s arose a project called Operation Bootstrap that provided training and education for community members. Its motto, "Learn, Baby, Learn," sparked the development of the Shindana Toy Factory, the first Black toy company in the US, dedicated to producing dolls and games that would build pride and spark the imagination of children who rarely saw themselves in the toys available at the time.
Brief description: Charlotte Watson Sherman loves to read, write and play under the Southern California sun. She is a former librarian and the author of Brown Sugar Babe, Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps, and co-author of This Opening Sky.