Charnaie Gordon’s first memory of seeing herself represented in a children’s literature was in the book “Corduroy” by Don Freeman. Seeing someone who looked like her and shared her same living situation had a great effect on her. Now, as a diversity and inclusion expert and blogger, she works to not only make other children feel represented in literature, but to remind all readers that the world is a diverse place. There are still challenges to this, as people of color are finding some of their content misunderstood by publishers, while many consumers seem aware of promoting diversity only during moments of political controversy. 

 

We know that books are what gives many of us special access to all the places, people, perspectives and experiences we may never have or have yet to encounter. But the question remains, how diverse are these people, perspectives and experiences we learn about? Who’s voices are we not hearing from?

 

Join the conversation to hear about the lack of diversity within the publishing industry and its trickle-down effects, and why having discussions with your kids about diversity only matters if you mean it.

 

Quotes

• “That’s often the biggest misconception: People hear the word ‘diversity,’ and they think, ‘Oh, that’s for people of color.’ No, it includes everybody.”(10:20-10:31 | Charnaie) 

• “People always say, ‘Well, why is this important?’ Well, why isn’t it important?” (11:23-11:2:26 | Charnaie)

• “For me, how I organize my library is, I’m just going to put ‘back to school’ books that have all children represented that have the theme of going back to school. I don’t care what color they are, if they have a disability or not, if they are LGBTQ+.”(29:49-30:13 | Charnaie)

• “It’s just like having a conversation with your child about fairness. You don’t have anxiety around that it’s just, ‘Hey. This is fair and this isn’t.’ (39:15-39:26 | Charnaie)

 

Stats

• “A 2014 diversity baseline survey by Lee & Low books, an independent children’s book publisher, found that 76% of the publishing industry was white, and diversity was most lacking on the editorial side, where 85% of employees were white.”(19:04-19:28 | Sasha)

• "Every year Lee & Low has a time period in which BIPOC writers can submit a manuscript, and if chosen, win a book publishing contract." (22:39-23:04 | Charnaie)

• “If you don’t see the book you are looking for in the library, just request it. Libraries can do that, they can get the book in. It’s the same with the bookstore, if you go there and the book you are looking for is not there, please request it. This helps publishers know that there’s a demand. And it doesn’t cost you a thing.”(42:05-42:31 | Charnaie) 

• “Don’t also discount checking out your local thrift stores, they have books there, too. There’s also thriftbooks.com, which has a variety of children’s books at a discounted price.” (47:19- 47:40 | Charnaie)

 

--Notable links--

 

Connect with Charnaie Gordon:

Website: https://charnaiegordon.com/

IG: @hereweeread

Shop Charnaie's Diverse & Inclusive Book Recommendations:https://charnaiegordon.com/resources/shop-my-amazon-store-for-diverse-amp-inclusive-recommendations

 

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