In a time fraught with Trump- and Republican-fomented racial hate and vituperation, we move into a holiday season celebrated by 90% of the people in this divided nation.
Over the years, many readers have asked for my thoughts on what can be done to change and eliminate the racial hate exhibited by a large, and mostly white, segment of the populace.
My belief is that you can’t vote racism away. The only solution is education. So if you are one of the millions of people who are shopping for gifts for children or young adults in your circle of family and friends, why not give the gift of books that might just open new perspectives in the minds of the young people who will inherit the messes we have now, and hopefully contribute to cleaning them up?
After the Mother Emanuel massacre in Charleston in 2015, Alvin Irby, the founder of the program Barbershop Books, and a former NYC kindergarten teacher, wrote, in a post on the program’s website titled “Why White Kids Need Diverse Children’s Books,”
The absence of people of color in children’s literature and the lack of diversity in the genres in which they are presented to young learners has far-reaching implications for how children see and understand themselves in relation to the world around them. Equally impactful, the ways in which educators use children’s books shape students’ self-perceptions and their perceptions of others. No child’s introduction to people of color in children’s books should be limited to slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, or the countless other oppression narratives that so often characterize books with non-white characters. Furthermore, relegating books with main characters of color to “special” and thus separate celebrations or teaching units (i.e., black history month, Civil Rights social studies unit, Hispanic Heritage month) creates an implicit and de facto segregation that denotes the inferiority about which Justice Harlan wrote in his famous dissenting opinion.
Children’s literature has and will continue to shape the minds of new generations of Americans. The extent to which all children, especially white children, are exposed to books with diverse characters in diverse settings involving diverse genres and themes will determine, in part, if the next generation of Americans gain a genuine understanding and appreciation of difference or languish in the racist ideology to which they are being primed to adhere. Publishing more diverse children’s books and providing educators and parents with guidance on how best to incorporate diverse titles into children’s educational experiences at school and at home is key to combating the race-fueled hatred displayed by the Charleston shooter who took the lives of 9 black Americans while attending a Wednesday Bible study.
In “Why I Buy Black Children’s Books by Black Authors and Why You Should Too,” Denene Millner writes,
… [B]ooks featuring children of color not only can help make Black kids fall in love with the written word, but, in the most basic of ways, give white children an up close and personal view into the worlds of little people who don’t look like them—who, in many ways, are just like them.
I wrote about that last point in a piece here on MyBrownBaby, in which I fessed up to integrating the bookshelves of my children’s white friends by giving them Black books for birthdays, Christmas and, well, just because:
My hope is when I pass along a Black children’s book or a Black doll baby to my daughters’ friends, that they get the same subliminal lessons —that brown children matter. Books like “Ruby and the Booker Boys” speak to our experiences and show both our differences and our commonalities with white culture. Introducing books like these to white children is the most simple, basic way to introduce a child to another race in a positive, thoughtful way. A white child introduced to Ruby may not necessarily say, “Oh look! A Black girl is the star of this book!” when she reads it. She might not notice the character’s color at all. But she just might decide to make friends with a little Black girl out on the playground because she looks like the character in the book she liked. And since she really liked that book, she’ll probably really like that little girl, too. Children really are that simple. That uncomplicated…
And really, it is that uncomplicated. Debbie Allen’s “Dancing in the Wings” is every bit as poignant a tale about self-esteem as, say, Jamie Lee Curtis’s “I’m Gonna Like Me,” just as Derrick Barnes’ “Ruby and the Booker Boys” series is as sassy and humorous and identifiable as Beverly Cleary’s “Ramona” books. But Black children hardly know this because the Black stories are hardly ever made available to them and white children are clueless about it because no one ever fixes their mouths to suggest them as good books they might enjoy.
And that is the shame of it all.
And so I’ll keep stashing Black children’s books in as many birthday gift bags as I can, donating them to as many charitable causes as I can find, and requesting them as additions to my own incredible and burgeoning Black children’s book collection. Simply put: everyone should buy Black children’s books by Black authors.
Are there young adults in your family? Do you have friends with children? What are they reading? Have you thought about giving them black books as gifts?
Starting with books for young adults (this old adult loved it too), I suggest you check out the first two books in the Legacy of Orisha trilogy.
Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi, described on Adeyemi’s website:
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
In “New Y.A. Books Rewrite Old Cultural Scripts,” Jennifer Hubert Swan wrote for The New York Times,
Magic also lies dormant in the platelets of chosen teenagers in the Nigerian-American Tomi Adeyemi’s debut, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE (Holt, $18.99; ages 12 and up). But these diviners are no debutantes. Born with snow white hair and deep brown skin in the imaginary country of Orïsha, young diviners morph into mighty, magic-wielding maji, or magicians, at 13. For centuries they relied on their powers (which Adeyemi based on aspects of the religion of the Yoruban people of West Africa). All that ended when the nonmagical King Saran ordered the slaughter of all adult majis. But when a mysterious scroll falls into the hands of Amari, a defiant princess, and Zélie, a tenacious diviner warrior, the two young women set out on a thrilling, death-defying journey to restore magic and take back the throne.
Black Girl Magic, indeed! It’s no surprise that this epic trilogy opener has already been optioned for film. Full of cinematic action sequences (the most memorable of them set almost entirely underwater and employing an army of the dead) and creatures worthy of Star Wars (horse-size “lionaires” have saber teeth and horns), it storms the boundaries of the imagination. Yet it also confronts the conscience. Adeyemi’s brutally depicted war between the noble, lighter-skinned kosidans and the enslaved, darker-skinned majis poses thought-provoking questions about race, class and authority that hold up a warning mirror to our sharply divided society
I was elated to see Adeyemi on The Tonight Show after the book’s debut.
The second book in the trilogy, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, hit booksellers this month.
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.
Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.
But with civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance is the stunning sequel to Tomi Adeyemi's New York Times-bestselling debut Children of Blood and Bone, the first book in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy.
I admit to being biased about her work, since, as an adherent of an African-diasporic religious practice, which centers Orisha, I’ve found it wonderful to see this series take off.
For younger children, there is a growing list of wonderful books spanning history, biography, fantasy, and fun. Those that address black history and historical figures should not be relegated to Black History Month. Black history is American history.
Let the Children March, by Monica Clark-Robinson, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Illustration 2019
I couldn't play on the same playground as the white kids.
I couldn't go to their schools.
I couldn't drink from their water fountains.
There were so many things I couldn't do.
In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for their civil rights after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. They protested the laws that kept black people separate from white people. Facing fear, hate, and danger, these children used their voices to change the world. Frank Morrison's emotive oil-on-canvas paintings bring this historical event to life, while Monica Clark-Robinson's moving and poetic words document this remarkable time.
Mae Among the Stars, by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington
A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts!
When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.
She wanted to be an astronaut.
Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”
Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.
This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination
Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman.
Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award–nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers!
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good.
They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.
In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.
I love this simple story for youngsters ages 3 to 7.
Max and the Tag-Along Moon, written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper.
Max loves his grandpa. When they must say good-bye after a visit, Grandpa promises Max that the moon at Grandpa’s house is the same moon that will follow him all the way home. On that swervy-curvy car ride back to his house, Max watches as the moon tags along. But when the sky darkens and the moon disappears behind clouds, he worries that it didn’t follow him home after all. Where did the moon go—and what about Grandpa’s promise?
Floyd Cooper received the Coretta Scott King Award for The Blacker the Berry, three Coretta Scott King Honors for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, Meet Danitra Brown, and I Have Heard of a Land, and an NAACP image award. In Max and the Tag-Along Moon, his lush paintings perfectly capture the wonder of the moon, the love between grandfather and grandson, and that feeling of magic every child experiences when the moon follows him home.
“Coretta Scott King Award–winning Cooper has created a gentle, comforting story that will reassure children that those who love us are always with us.”
For those of you who may have budding dancers at home, I suggest Firebird, by Misty Copeland, illustrated by Christopher Myers.
In her debut picture book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl--an every girl--whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young girl's faith in herself and shows her exactly how, through hard work and dedication, she too can become Firebird.
Lyrical and affecting text paired with bold, striking illustrations that are some of Caldecott Honoree Christopher Myers's best work, makes Firebird perfect for aspiring ballerinas everywhere.
About the Author:
Misty Copeland didn't take up ballet until age 13, but by age 17, she was a professional. She was appointed ABT soloist at age 24, their first African American soloist in two decades. Driven by her newfound passion for the art, which she discovered at her local Boys & Girls Club, Misty accomplished so much in such a short amount of time through good old-fashioned hard work, discipline and unwavering belief in herself.
Christopher Myers is the award-winning author and illustrator of Caldecott Honoree Harlem and Coretta Scott King Honorees Black Cat and Horse. Myers has also won three Boston Globe-Horn Book Honors and a New York Times Best Illustrated Award.
Copeland talked about the book with NPR:
MISTY COPELAND: "The Firebird" just symbolizes a lot for me and my career. It was one of the first really big principal roles that I was ever given an opportunity to dance with American Ballet Theatre, and it was a huge step for the African-American community, I think, within the classical ballet world. And for them to come out and support me in the way that they did, coming to the Metropolitan Opera House to see me perform that role, I think was just a step in the change and direction that ballet is going.
INSKEEP: Misty Copeland dedicated "Firebird" to her mentor, Raven Wilkinson, the first African-American ballerina to tour the country. In the 1950s, that was no small feat.
COPELAND: She was pretty much chased out when they were touring the South, by the KKK, who were threatening that she couldn't perform in their theaters or stay in the hotels that the other dancers were with. And they were trying to kind of hide her and have her blend in and not notice that she was a dancer of color. So she experienced a lot more severe, life-threatening racism than other minorities experience in the ballet world at this point.
Dancing in the Wings, by Debbie Allen, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is another book for budding ballerinas.
Sassy is a long-legged girl who always has something to say. She wants to be a ballerina more than anything, but she worries that her too-large feet, too-long legs, and even her big mouth will keep her from her dream. When a famous director comes to visit her class, Sassy does her best to get his attention with her high jumps and bright leotard. Her first attempts are definitely not appreciated, but with Sassy's persistence, she just might be able to win him over. Dancing in the Wings is loosely based on actress/choreographer Debbie Allen's own experiences as a young dancer.
Allen also did a television special in 1977 called Dancing in the Wings.
Original TV Guide description: Debbie Allen stars in, co-wrote, and choreographed this story of a dance company preparing for its first tour. Sammy Davis Jr. is on hand-as The Spirit of Dance personified-to offer encouragement to the young dancers. Debbie Allen, Sammy Davis Jr., Lainie Kazan, Alfonso Ribeiro, Shirley Hemphill, Derrick Brice, Paula Brown, Christophe Caballero, Michael De Lorenzo, Leanne Gerrish, Barbara Koval, Hector Mercado, Dwayne Phelps, Marguerite Pomerhn, Eartha Rbinson, Michael Rooney, Bronwyn Thomas, Darryl Tribble, Rocker Verastique, Tori Spelling.
As more and more families have children of mixed ancestry, I’m glad to see there are children’s books including them as well.
Mixed Me! by Taye Diggs (author), Shane W. Evans (Illustrator)
Mom and Dad say I'm a blend of dark and light:
"We mixed you perfectly, and got you just right."
Mike has awesome hair. He has LOTS of energy! His parents love him. And Mike is a PERFECT blend of the two of them.
Still, Mike has to answer LOTS of questions about being mixed. And he does, with LOTS of energy and joy in this charming story about a day in the life of a mixed-race child.
Taye Diggs on what inspired him to write the book:
You know I go to pick up and drop my son off at school. It seems like every other kid I see looks very, very similar to him. And when I was growing up, that wasn't the case. We saw somebody with fair skin, curly hair and perhaps light eyes – we immediately assumed that that kid was mixed. And then as a child I would ask the questions: which parent was black, which parent was white, which parent did the child connect with, relate to more? And then throughout the years, I would kind of cobble up my own explanations as to why this mixed person preferred to date lighter or darker. But these days it's all different. And I'm thankful for that. I wrote the book just in case there were questions and to definitely highlight who my son is and how he should feel about himself regardless of how he's viewed by the outside world.
I’ll stop here, though there are so many books to choose from. I hope you will share some of your favorites in comments.
Some additional resources:
21 African-American History Books to Read with Your Kids
Books to Teach White Children and Teens How to Undo Racism and White Supremacy