di·ver·si·ty
: the state of having people who are different
races or who have different cultures in a group or organization
If you've spent any time here recently on any of the social networks, specifically Twitter, you've noticed an increase of chatter (or Tweets #WeNeedDiverseBooks) concerning diversity. My response, YAY! :)
I'm all for diversity in books. I've always love libraries, and I've spent whole lot of time in them. However, when I was very young, a very long time ago, I couldn't help but notice the lack of diversity in books (...it's getting better, but we need more...)
There was a very limited supply of books for African Americans. Well, there were books, but they were about Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Sojourner Truth. I remember at one point, the only fiction book that I could find was Sounder! Remember that one, about the dog and poor black sharecropper's family? There were plenty of books like that, poor little black children or chirren as they were called, playing happily on the plantation? Unfortunately, the only books that I remember for Hispanics had them all wearing Sombreros and sleeping. Asians, not much better, they all wore big hats and the only job they had was working on rice paddy farms. WHAT?!?!?
Don't get me wrong books that tell various cultural experiences are necessary. However, at that time, it seemed as if that was the end all and summary of the entire culture.
In the books that I saw, I did not see any little black kids playing in the suburbs and living in nice homes. Hmmm where were they hiding?
My books are diverse. Why? Because that is the world that we live in. If you put a bunch of kids from different cultures in a room, they will find a way to play and have a great time. It's only when close-minded adults get involved and tell them why they should not like someone, or be around someone who is different from them.
There is a great website that showcases diverse authors & books, and they were kind enough to showcase my book SEVEN SHADES OF LUMINOSITY. A Fantasy middle-grade book with an African-American male protagonist.
Check it out here...
