Today Is Different

Mai, who is Hmong American, and Kiara, who is Black, do everything together. But not today. Kiara isn’t at the bus stop, she’s not at school, and Mai spends recess alone. On the bus ride home, Mai sees something she’s never seen before—people holding protest signs. Today is different.

At home, Mai learns that the police hurt a Black man, and her mom tells her she’ll be safe inside. But Mai and her big brother don’t agree. “If we all stand together,”...