Eastern PA SCBWI commits to equity, inclusion, and equal justice for all. We want our members to feel safe and supported through our programs and faculty. We strive for our leadership and members to reflect the diversity of our world. Our hope is that through the stories and illustrations we share, all children can see themselves and embrace the richness beyond their own experiences.
Straight Talk on Race, by Mitali Perkins: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids’ Books: “Here are five questions that’ll help you and your students discern messages about race in stories.” http://www.slj.com/2009/04/standards/straight-talk-on-race-challenging-the-stereotypes-in-kids-books/
We Need Diverse Books: Resources for individuals and groups involved in many levels of children’s publishing www.diversebooks.org
Cooperative Children’s Book Center: Children’s Books by and about People of Color Published in the United States. http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu
School Librarian Talks to Students About ‘Whitewashing’ Children’s Book Covers, by Allie Bruce: A librarian discusses how a question from a student led to a series of conversations about the representation of race on book covers. https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=bank-street-school-librarian-shares-her-year-long-lesson-in-diversity-in-childrens-books
The Danger of a Single Story, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A Ted Talk on why no culture can be represented by one story. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en
Reading While White—Allies for Racial Diversity and Inclusion in Books for Childrens and Teens. http://readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
Inclusion on the Bookshelf, By Camille Jackson: “The lives of children with disabilities are adventurous, funny, romantic and active. There are many books available that contain characters with disabilities, but few that truly embrace social inclusion.” http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-36-fall-2009/feature/inclusion-bookshelf
Seeing Ourselves and Seeing Others in the Pages if the Books we Read, by Jess Lifshitz: “[E]very single child that walks through my classroom door deserves to see himself or herself in a book in my library. And every single child that walks through my classroom door deserves a chance to learn about others in this world from the books in my library.” https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/seeing-ourselves-and-seeing-others-in-the-pages-of-the-books-we-read-by-jess-lifshitz/
Suggested Reading for the ALSC Day of Diversity http://dia.ala.org/dayofdiversity
American Indians in Children’s Literature (book reviews and recommendations): “provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children’s and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society.” http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/
February is African American History Month by Sandy Brehl: African American characters and themes should be shared all year long, not just during February as part of Black History Month activities. http://unpackingpicturebookpower.blogspot.com/2012/02/whats-so-special-about-february.html
Five Gay Picture-Book Prodigies and the Difference They’ve Made, by Barbara Bader: Diverse creators Maurice Sendak, Arnold Lobel, James Marshall, Remy Charlip, and Tomie dePaola who’s brilliance and prodigy status shaped the direction of kid lit- for the better. https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=five-gay-picture-book-prodigies-and-the-difference-theyve-made
Writing inclusion isn’t about representing as many different things as possible, it is about readers finding a space for themselves in our stories, by Cory Silverberg: “Inclusion creates a space for them to explore not only multiple parts of their experience but also how those experiences are woven together in their bodies and lives.” https://www.cbcbooks.org/2013/09/25/cbc-diversity-checking-boxes-and-filling-blanks-diversity-and-inclusion-in-childrens-literature/
Writing With Color: A blog dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial & ethnic diversity. We share writing advice, guides, book recs. and more. http://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/95955707903/skin-writing-with-color-has-received-several
Describing Skin Tone, by WriteWorld: A discussion and list of resources. https://writeworld-blog.tumblr.com/post/55657925946/describing-skin-tone
Ableism/Language, by Lydia X. Z. Brown: A glossary of Ableist Phrases http://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html
Racism Begins in our imagination: by Grisel Y Acosta : “We’d like to imagine that racism is only created with extreme acts, like bombs or chains. The truth is racism begins in our imagination. It begins with our stories.” http://www.salon.com/2015/02/22/racism_begins_in_our_imagination_how_the_overwhelming_whiteness_of_boyhood_feeds_dangerous_hollywood_myths/
Many thanks to SCBWI-Wisconsin for this great compilation (https://www.scbwi.org/regions/wisconsin), and we welcome suggested additions to this list.