If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening, all over this land —“If I Had a Hammer” by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays
Rainbow Rumpus has been publishing monthly for one year, and we’ve got a new look.
We’re expanding our children’s offerings with the first in a series of stories about Flo and Mo, our signature dragons. We’re adding two new sections, one for young adults and one for parents, teachers, and friends of kids with LGBT parents. Check out the new Resources in the Parents, Teachers, and Friends section—Resources editor Therese Sonnek has put together a great selection of information for you, and more is on the way. Rainbow Rumpus is a John Henry–kind of baby: strong, growing up fast, and ready to work.
John Henry was a real man who did real work to build a real railroad.* His story is so compelling that it’s known by almost every child and adult in the United States generations after he lived and died. John Henry was a black man who lived during a time of explicit legal discrimination against black people. Race is important to his story, and so are issues of manhood, work, and technological change that resonate with children and adults from many backgrounds. His story has been, and continues to be, written, told, and sung.
Rainbow Rumpus exists to tell John Henry–kind of stories. They grab our attention today because stories about LGBT-headed families are so hard to come by, and they are widely read because they address universal themes. We too live in a time of technological change. As an organization Rainbow Rumpus harnesses technology so that stories about families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents are written, told, and sung. Young adults are at the cutting edge of both social and technological change, and we are delighted to feature a new Young Adult link to young adult index page section of the site tailored just to them. We are thrilled to be adding downloadable MP3 files so that kids can listen to our stories being read aloud. This will become a regular feature of our site. We are proud to have our first stories read by noted public domain recording artist Kara Shallenberg.
We would not know John Henry today if it weren’t for the many people who told his story. Likewise, Rainbow Rumpus’s stories rely on many people: children, teens, adults, writers, illustrators, editors, photographers, musicians, videographers, board members, donors, and volunteers. They’re an amazing group who have a great time creating a rumpus together.
Kudos to the folks who pulled the site redesign together, especially Beth Wallace, our editor-in-chief, who led the process; Cary Walski, our webmaster, who made the ideas reality; and the rest of the editorial team that worked so hard: Erika Lewis, Dan Marfield, Therese Sonnek, and Beth Wright. You can see their pictures and read all about them on the Contact Us page.
John Henry was born with a hammer in his hands. Our work is telling stories about LGBT-headed families that create a safe space for youth while opening hearts and minds. Link to our site, make a donation, and tell your friends. Our stories are the hammer of justice, the bell of freedom, and the song about love between our brothers and our sisters. Thank you for writing them, telling them, reading them, and passing them along.
—Laura Matanah
Publisher
*A number of academic folks have argued that John Henry was real. Having read their work, I tend to agree. For more information, click here.
Mississippi John Hurt performs John Henry during an interview with Pete Seeger.
Fast forward over the first tenth to get to the song.
Bruce Springsteen performs John Henry with the Seeger Sessions Band.
Pete Seeger talks about writing “If I Had a Hammer,” and Peter, Paul and Mary perform it.
Trini Lopez performs “If I Had a Hammer.”
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