Put Your Shoes On & Get Ready!

PreS-Gr 2–Young Raphael learned the valuable lesson of walking and growing into the right “shoes” of life; every day he was told by his father to get up and “get ready to put your shoes on.” It did not matter if he was going to school, playing, or going to church: each thing that he did required different types of shoes. His parents shared with him how they grew up in a segregated state where Black and white children went to different schools. Warnock observed at a young age his father in many roles: a pastor at his church, a worker who removed junk cars for a living, and more. As he grew up he, too, had to find his role, not only as a pastor, but an activist, too, eventually running for the senate. The metaphor of “shoes” makes this slice of Warnock’s life relatable to children, in a heartening, uplifting look at a young man from a humble beginning who overcomes and withstands adversity to become the first Black senator from Georgia.