This weekend we celebrate Trans Day of Remembrance, an important day to honor the memories of our trans siblings who have died because of transphobic violence, unequal access to safe healthcare and housing, and family trauma. At Charis we believe it is just as important to celebrate and teach the stories of our survival, which is why we are excited to welcome Dr. Elijah Nicholas for an all ages story hour and reading of his new children's book, Madoodle, with a parent and teacher Q&A to follow. Madoodle is the story of a niece learning that one of her beloved family members has transitioned and the person she understood as her aunt is now her uncle. The story offers children and adults many models for how to express unconditional love for one another despite our external differences or the changes we may experience on our life's journeys. The event is appropriate for children ages 3 and up and adults of all ages who want to be better allies to the trans people in their lives.

This event takes place on crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. Register here.

We will be archiving this event and adding closed captioning as soon as possible after airing so that it will be accessible to deaf and HOH people. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we begin this new way of connecting across distances.

By attending our virtual event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

Assigned the female gender at birth, Dr. Elijah Nicholas spent over half of his life in the US Military, retiring as a senior officer in 2012. Transitioning from female-to-male in 2018 came as a result of Dr. Elijah no longer being able to live his core values: authenticity, integrity, and transparency.  Dr. Elijah is now an author, community advocate, inspirational speaker, and spiritual guide. Dr. Elijah holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Masters in Business Administration, a Masters in Adult Education & Training, a Masters in Military Operational Art & Leadership, and a Bachelors of Science in Administration of Justice. A former pastor, Dr. Elijah is also a licensed and ordained minister, leading Dr. Elijah Nicholas Ministries. He resides in Atlanta with his two amazing Boxers; Duke & Zeus.

Madoodle: An All Ages Story Hour Teaching Trans Resilience with Dr. Elijah Nicholas