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All children deserve dignity and respect. Our Two Spirit children are beautiful and sacred. Together, we can (re)member their place in our homes, hearts, and villages.
Sassy Sassafras, co-authored by Victoria Persinger Ferguson (Monacan) and Itai Jeffries (Yesah/Occaneechi), is a children’s book based on a southeastern woodlands indigenous wisdom. The book captures a heartfelt encounter between the two authors, retold through a story about Sam/Samantha, a Two Spirit person, and Miss Mary, a tribal elder. Sam/Samantha finds a home within themself, their community, and their culture through a story Miss Mary shares about Sassafras plant medicine and what she teaches us about gender. This narrative confronts bullying and discrimination with cultural strength and pride. The book was illustrated by Trae Middlebrooks. The Spanish language version was translated by Fernando Sandoval Hernandez.
Join Sam/Samantha and Miss Mary in this heartwarming story of love and acceptance through a return to tradition!
Sassy Sassafras: A Two Spirit Story is offered in both English and Spanish versions, and is accompanied by a companion coloring book. All e-books are completely free, and can be downloaded at the links below. This hardcopy of this book is produced at the cost of printing only, so it can be purchased at a low cost at the designated links below. Additionally, we will provide free copies to Native households and organizations while supplies and capacity last. The form to request free copies is found below.
E-Books: Click on each image to access the FREE E-Book downloads
Purchase Hard Copy: Click on each image to purchase hardcopies
Request FREE hardcopies here: Email ijeffries@npaihb.org with additional questions
The Paths (Re)Membered Project centers the Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ community–its strengths, resiliencies, and histories—in our movement toward health equity.