CBC Diversity
Month
“Boredom in shul drove me to search for entertainment in a prayer book, and there, I encountered the power of words.” via Lilith @littlebrown
Contributed by Mary Birdsell, Photographer
Last month I wrote an article for this site, discussing my experience photographing children with special needs and my upcoming trip to photograph children in Tanzania. International travel, two words that appear exciting, exotic, and luxurious, are in reality about spending hours wedged between strangers. It is neither exciting, exotic, nor even the slightest bit luxurious. After landing in a different hemisphere, the excitement starts to build again. I’m not sure what I expected to see in Tanzania, but I was surprised to see fields of corn. As a Midwesterner, I’m well versed in fields of corn and found it very welcoming. What made it exotic was seeing palm trees growing next to the corn. Fields, mountains, plains, rainforests, and beaches met to make picture perfect views.
Tune in the first Monday of each month (beginning August 1) at 8pm EST for a diversity chat hosted by All the Wonders!
Gorgeous book covers featuring characters of color! @richincolor
On economic disparity and the widening word gap. @theatlantic
Letters For Black Lives @galleycat
Celebrate girl power with these YA titles! @buzzfeed
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang on diversity and superhero comics! @npr
Contributed by Ronald L. Smith, Author
The We Need Diverse Books movement took off shortly after Hoodoo, my middle grade debut, sold to Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I think this is an exciting time to be writing children’s literature, especially if you are writing about characters that fall outside the mainstream. I think publishers want these books, and are eager to find those that tell a great story.
I recently attended the American Library Association’s annual convention in Orlando. I was there to receive the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent. It was an amazing experience and one that I am humbled and energized by. To be surrounded by so many people who love books was mind-blowing. Plus, I met Kwame Alexander. So that happened.
When I gave my speech—complete with sweaty palms and nervous energy—I talked about how, shortly after Hoodoo came out, I did several interviews. One of these interviewers asked, “Here you are, a black writer, writing fantasy books for kids. Some would say, shouldn’t you be writing stories that uplift the race?”
“Sometimes, comics provide us the chance to explore worlds outside of ourselves that not only keep us safe, but that help us find a home in a world that sadly may not want to shelter us.” @heypanels
“At its core, a public Library is one of the few places on earth with no sides. Everyone is welcome no matter what race, creed, religion, skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, political view, or any of the other ways we divide and categorize each other.” via Medium
“Through their stories and illustrations they have offered children to chance to question the conversations of adults and challenge the attitudes which are so prevalent in the media.”
