John Washington

Dear John,

I loved you even before I met you.

I remember the exact moment when I found out I would be a big sister. Transparently, I was anticipating the announcement of a new family pet, but what I learned was so much better. And not one sibling, two! 

Ecstatic, I called EVERYONE in my fifth grade class. I have carried the joy of being a big sister ever since.

That day, something in my heart opened. Even at the young age of 11, I knew that our bond would be so special and that I would do anything for you.

That feeling has never left me. Not for a single day of your life.

John John, when you arrived, you were everything. You were the baby who made everyone in the room smile, without even trying. I was there for the walking, the talking, and the fork-holding, and it was clear that you were something special. You had a gentleness and a curiosity that I recognized early and have never stopped admiring. I rocked you to sleep and sang lullabies to you. I showed up to your elementary school with food from McDonald's, and I drove to every soccer game, football game and band competition because one of my favorite things was being a big sister! That has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

I had no idea that the little boy I helped steady on his feet would one day tower over me. The person you are today, the way you move through the world with quiet confidence and unshakeable integrity, didn’t happen by accident. It shows your character. John, you are such an inspiration and a model of just good, human decency.

Your deep spirituality and unshakeable integrity are not performative. They are simply who you are.

Your passion for archives and for preserving the stories hidden in the margins and outside  official records reinforces everything I already knew about the depth of your heart. You have always heard the whisper of ancestors like our great-great-grandparents Booker T. and Olivia Washington, and the quiet, persistent call to remember the past so we can impact the present and better the future. The world needs people like you, who understand that history isn’t only about relics; it’s also about responsibility. I am so proud of the work you are doing and the person you are now, as well as the person you are still becoming.

And you are an amazing uncle in the way you show up for your niece and nephews. There is something so beautiful about the relationship that forms when a little brother is no longer little. You are now my big-little brother and one of my very favorite humans on this earth.

I loved you before I knew you. And I love who you have become even more.

With all my love, Amanda

I loved you even before I met you.I remember the exact moment when I found out I would be a big sister. Ecstatic, I called EVERYONE in my fifth grade class. I have carried the joy of being a big sister ever since. John John, when you arrived, you were everything. You were the baby who made everyone in the room smile, without even trying. Your passion for archives and for preserving the stories hidden in the margins and outside official records reinforces everything I already knew about the depth of your heart. You have always heard the whisper of ancestors like our great-great-grandparents Booker T. and Olivia Washington, and the quiet, persistent call to remember the past so we can impact the present and better the future. The world needs people like you, who understand that history isn’t only about relics; it’s also about responsibility. I am so proud of the work you are doing and the person you are now, as well as the person you are still becoming.