Sherricka Carpenter-Stanley is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T SU) where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics Education. She is a native of Durham, NC who happens to reside in Greensboro, NC. Sherricka is a wife, mother, friend, publisher, author, and bookstore owner. In other words, she wears several hats but more on that later. Her publishing company, Wabash To Worthing Publishing, LLC, pays homage to her roots in both Durham (Wabash) and Greensboro (Worthing). Her bookstore, Next Chapter Bookstore and Giftshop’s mantra is, “Not Your Ordinary Bookstore.” It offers a unique blend of books and gifts from traditionally and non-traditionally published authors. It also hosts a variety of programs that cater to every member of the family to include book clubs, book signings, author visits, etc.
Sherricka’s second book, Through Our Eyes is a story that pays homage to everyone that witnessed Kamala Harris be sworn in as the first woman Vice President of the United States. I had the pleasure of purchasing an autographed copy of the publication from Next Chapter and I’m absolutely stunned as it’s timeless work of art. The illustrator, Audeva Joseph did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of pioneers past and present throughout the book such as Thurgood Marshall, Shirley Chisholm, President Obama, and of course Vice President Harris. While the illustrations are immaculate, they’re not the true art. The true art is found in the dedication wherein Sherricka said that the book is dedicated to every little girl whose name has been mispronounced and didn’t feel seen. She assured them that they were enough and urged them to keep dreaming. That spoke volumes for me specifically because my name was mispronounced so frequently as a young child that I finally decided to change it when I got to high school. It’s okay because I like my new name better than my old name. Staying within that vein, I know that Sherricka was speaking through her own self as a child when she penned the dedication as her name is frequently mispronounced today.
Moving along, Through Our Eyes takes the reader on a beautiful journey through black history using Vice President Harris as the vessel of transportation. It steps the readers through the formulation of HBCU’s in addition to African American Sororities and Fraternities. It also shares insight into many of the unspoken idioms that only black people have long understood. She included nuggets within the rear of the book to aid understanding and to help bridge the gap between cultures. I for one can most appreciate that.
Through Our Eyes should be on display in The White House Giftshop but not only that, it should be immortalized within the halls of The National Museum of African American History and Culture. Those of you that would like to purchase a copy can either do some from within Next Chapter Bookstore and Giftshop or via Sherricka’s website.
5 ⭐️’s
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