![]() And like Amanda Gorman, we must be brave enough to hear, honor, and exalt the Black children and those who dare to tell their stories.Looking for new releases by Black children’s book creators? Black Children’s Books & Authors (BCBA) has you covered. We must be intentional in our efforts to challenge those who think that ordinary stories are only relegated to children who look like them. PEN America and Penguin Random House’s recent legal action against the book bans in Florida is just the beginning. It is not enough to buy a book with Black and Brown children as characters. The optimism Black stories elicit may be one of the most important functions of how we can use our imaginations to materialize a more equitable world. Black stories inspire hope, joy, and reflection-oftentimes demonstrating what is possible and what could be. Black children’s literature reflects the world in which we live by centering the histories of Black people and providing commentary on the current state of social affairs. If we believe that Black people are human, then we must also believe that Black children can be ordinary, too. As cultural artifacts, children’s books present models through which readers can come to understand themselves and the world in which they live.” In their essay, “The Immeasurable Value of Black Children’s Books”, they argue that Black children’s books offer young readers the chance to examine the past, question the present, and ponder future actions through affirming stories of exhilaration and triumph. Mia Obiwo and Francheska Starks respectively discuss in The Black Agenda, which I edited. This insight is exactly what professors of early childhood education S. That is why we must be intentional in our efforts to protect and preserve Black stories and storytellers. We lose so much when Black children cannot be ordinary. By allowing a single bad faith request like that of The Hill We Climb to usurp children from a vibrant rendition of hope and promise, opponents of diverse storytelling are robbing the next generation of an opportunity to be unabashedly curious about the world around them. There is a real cost when the stories of ordinary Black children, which are already limited, are ignored by publishing houses or silenced by book bans. The added insult to injury is that navigating the industry is notoriously difficult for Black authors, literary agents, bookstore owners, and editors. ![]() Not to mention that at least through 2019, Black and Brown people only made up approximately 6% of the publishing industry while white people made up 86%. These findings are compounded by the fact that books with diverse characters are less likely to receive mainstream children’s book awards – which boost sales more than diversity book awards– had lower library checkout rates, and were consistently more expensive on average than all other children’s books. At least there, I thought, I could begin to understand the two worlds I stood between. Navigating these realities led me to books. Their pantries were stocked with snacks I could only dream of. Rather, they lived in detached, single-family houses with green lawns and white picket fences. Their parents did not work the jobs my parents did. As one of the few Black children in the school, and the only Black girl in my grade, I became keenly aware that my classmates, who were white and wealthier, did not go home to an affordable housing neighborhood like me. When I was five years old, I graduated from Head Start, a government program for children of low-income working families, and attended a newly-created, local private school on full scholarship. She was their ordinary, and extraordinary. ![]() Black children especially saw themselves in her braided updo, gleaming eyes, and infectious smile. For months on end, photo after photo appeared across social media of kids of all races, genders, and backgrounds sporting Gorman’s iconic yellow coat and bold red headband. Since Gorman performed her poem for President Biden’s Inauguration ceremony two years ago, millions have flocked to her platform, including children. In Gorman’s case, a single parent filed a complaint for the book to be removed, erroneously citing Oprah as the author, and the inclusion of “critical race theory” as justification for removal. Joseph and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson. Such books include The Black Friend by Fred T. ![]() On May 23, Amanda Gorman’s The Hill We Climb became part of the long list of books authored by Black people to be banned by counties in Florida.
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