Poet Rio Cortez discusses her new children's book, "The ABCs of Black History."

Alphabet books have long been a constant in family homes and elementary school libraries. And while many of these books have tackled a range of social justice topics from consent to feminism, there remains an urgent need to explore how Black history has shaped American culture.

Poet Rio Cortez helps to fill that gap in her book, The ABCs of Black History, which uses the alphabet as a frame to introduce Black history, examining the intersection of the past and the present.

In this interview, the author discusses this exuberant celebration of history, culture, race, and justice.