Gumbo Kids is Molding Minds, Cultivating Character and Breaking Barriers
An interview with President/CEO, Monica Morgan-Simmons
by Penny Powell

Wouldn't it be awesome if every parent who has a young child in school could walk into his/her child's classroom and see a poster of adorable multicultural children hanging on the wall? The poster would reflect different eye colors and a variety of hair colors and textures, and would have been hung to encourage discussion about why we should be proud, not ashamed, of our differences. The poster would serve as a tool in the classroom to help every child see and feel that he or she is special and just as important as any other child on this earth. And, wouldn't it also be cool to see that the writing tablet that your child is using to practice writing letters -- or the flash cards being used to teach numbers in English or Spanish -- have these same diverse characters on them?

Until Monica Morgan-Simmons created Gumbo Kids, she had a difficult time locating similar products that her company was created to offer. Her journey to locate empowering multicultural learning tools began when her daughter, Journey, experienced a racial incident in school at the tender age of 3. Unable to get her hands on some specific items she felt she needed to help keep her daughter empowered about her differences, including skin color, Morgan-Simmons decided to create her own line of multicultural learning tools specifically for this purpose.

"The goal of Gumbo Kids products is to get children, parents and educators engaged in meaningful discussions about differences and what makes each individual child unique and special. Our approach is more about each child's individual gifts and talents and how she/he can use those to make a meaningful contribution to the world," Morgan-Simmons explained.

"What Gumbo Kids is working toward," Morgan-Simmons continued, "is developing tools that are authentic in their approach to multicultural education and inclusion. We want to move beyond the traditional approach to multiculturalism and just the celebration of customs and traditions." We want to move "toward the creation of concepts and products that challenge mainstream knowledge," she said. "We want every child to feel valued and special no matter where they come from, how they look, their abilities or challenges." We want them "to think broadly about inclusion so that every child is invited inside the circle and not one is left out. Nothing warms our hearts more than to see a child smile when they see themselves in one of the Gumbo Kids!" exclaimed Morgan-Simmons.

This two-year-old Denver company boasts eight diverse characters in its products -- better known as the Gumbo Kids. These characters are adorable and their names are: "Tamu, Marisol, Umata, Izzy, Caleb, James, Raji and Phoebe." They travel, too, and recently made a great impression at the School District of Philadelphia's Multicultural Education Expo.

About that experience, Morgan-Simmons said, "The people really loved what we're doing." The result of the Gumbo Kids taking a trip to Philadelphia? The School District of Philadelphia has requested that the company's products be used as supplemental educational materials throughout its school system. "I can't believe this," said an excited yet humble Morgan-Simmons. "We spend a lot of time doing research on what educators and parents want and need to teach children basic skills alongside life skills to effectively educate children about the diverse world in which they live," she explained. "We also use our own children as our product testers. We watch them to see what they gravitate toward and what they dislike."

>From Gumbo Kids' trip to 'Philly' also came the birth of a new slogan for the company -- "Molding Minds, Cultivating Character, Breaking Barriers." The company is using the gifts of different people to do just that. This diverse team is introduced on the Gumbo Kids web site. "God put us all together," Morgan-Simmons stated.

"Our vision is to inspire children to love themselves and others by taking to heart the fundamental message of our products," Morgan-Simmons continued. "Each of us is created intentionally and uniquely so that we may make our own special contributions to the world. We view ourselves as being in partnership with parents, educators and others who share the same belief. A partnership allows for open dialog and relationship building. Gumbo Kids helps bridge the information gap between parents and educators while at the same time offering products that prepare children for future success," she said.

If Gumbo Kids' growth to providing products to a school district far away from home is not exciting enough, well, the company is about to have its first easy reader available in December. This book, "Two Worlds Together In Me," was written by Jamie Morgan-dePina, Morgan-Simmons' sister as well as the creative force behind Gumbo Kids. The talented Joshua Mays has illustrated the book. "Two Worlds Together In Me" helps children understand and appreciate different backgrounds -- from biracial to adopted to handicapped children. It is dedicated to the memory of Morgan-Simmons' cousin, Richard Kevin Marshall, who committed suicide when he was 17 years old.

Morgan-Simmons explained that Marshall was of mixed racial heritage and although he looked "more Anglo," he identified with his African-American side. Unfortunately, he led a life full of challenges of constantly "trying to fit in" and the struggle become too much for him to handle. Sadly, he ended his life a year ago. Gumbo Kids' first book, therefore, aims to help children accept and love their differences to prevent such tragedies from occurring. "Two Worlds Together In Me" will be available for purchase at Gumbo Kids. (Additional places to purchase this book will also be posted on that site.)

"Our goal is to help create a more peaceful and accepting world by teaching children to appreciate how understanding and being accepting of our differences make us all better, both individually and collectively," said Morgan-Simmons.

The goals of Gumbo Kids does not end here. The company has teamed up with Jennifer James, director of the National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance, to create an instructional guide -- full of diversity, of course -- for parents of young children. Morgan-Simmons says it will be a "preparedness" tool for parents. It will be a guide with activity ideas for parents to prepare their young children for the expectations of school. "We're so excited about the collaboration with NAAHA," said an energetic Morgan-Simmons who does not forget to pause and thank God for such blessings. "Jennifer has been such a valuable resource for us. She is truly amazing."

Gumbo Kids, Morgan-Simmons' "heart's desire and passion," is certainly making an impact on the lives of young children and undoubtedly living up to its motto of "Molding minds, Cultivating Character and Breaking Barriers." "We have a long way to go," says Morgan-Simmons, "but feel that we are on the right path."

To view products and find out more about this progressive company, visit Gumbo Kids online.



Penny Powell is a freelance writer from Bermuda who resides in Florida with her husband, Collin, and their 7-year-old son, Caleb. Penny primarily writes about parenting and is Senior Editor for MommyToo.com, a web site for at-home and home schooling mothers of color.

Gumbo Kid's logo is a trademark of Gumbo Kids. Used with permission.