Through the years I have had great discussions about books with middle grade and high school students. I've read novels such as
Catcher in the Rye and
Their Eyes Were Watching God with my students. I've read memoirs such as
Black, White and Jewish and
Down These Mean Streets
with my students. I've read essays by Zora Neale Hurston and James
Baldwin with my students. I've also read short stories from
145th
Street Stories by Walter Dean Myers and "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid with
them. This was literature that was within our curriculum. When it came
to books that students were to self select, or read at home for more
practice and endurance I received many comments that spoke to student
frustration and apprehension.
Students told me, "You [the
school] don't have enough books for kids like us..." or "I don't read
a lot because I can't find books that really interest me, about subjects I
like..." or "I really want to read books about teens and drama...Where
are those books?" To solve the problem and answer to their frustration, I
became one of those teachers who often spent $100 or more on books each
month at Borders, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble buying books by
authors who write novels and stories for and/or about diverse children
and teens. And I could never buy enough, because each student reader had
different interests and needs from the next student. But I tried as
best I could to provide a mix of diverse books they would like. I
generally received positive feedback from my students for my efforts to
provide the books. And when I couldn't spend money, I used my library card to check out books for my students.
The majority of my K-12 teaching experience was in urban schools, where many of the students
report that they do not have books in the house, nor does their family's
economic situation allow for them to take trips to local bookstore or
order online from Amazon. Additionally, schools do not always have a
large budget for classroom libraries and book purchases for students to
take a book home to read. Few schools have an initiative to have all
students and their parents apply for library cards. With school budget
cuts, state test scores, teacher turnover, safety issues and other
challenges schools face, oftentimes helping to issue library cards is
the last thing on a school leaders' mind. Unfortunately many of our
struggling youth, do not own library cards. But the charge is for
educators, children's writers, librarians and others to help make books
accessible and of high interest for students of all backgrounds.
When
I was a little girl I read many books, some with characters who looked
like me and other books which focused upon characters from other lands
and cultures.
Kimako's Story by June Jordan was one of my favorite books as a child. I also read and loved R
ikki-Tkki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, Marvel Comics, books by Ezra Jack Keats,
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears,
The Runaway Bunny
and many more. My parents supported me to read everything, ranging from
poetry, to short stories, fiction, and non-fiction. I grew from a young
reader who loved books to an adult reader and writer who cares about
boosting the literacy, self value and global awareness in young readers.
There
has been a great discussion that there are not enough diverse books for
children and teens. In a country where there are so many children of
diverse backgrounds, how can that be? It's not for lack of story
content written by writers who write for and/or about children of
diverse backgrounds. Children of all backgrounds need diverse books
because we can no longer turn a blind eye to the inevitable need for us
to learn from each others' stories and truths. This means supporting
the diversity in children's books and wherever possible, sharing books
with children who are under served, who struggle with literacy and whose
self esteem could greatly benefit from reading books where the
characters "look" like them and share similar backgrounds and/or
experiences.
I believe the charge is for us all to buy and share
books with young people that are diverse in content. You don't have to
be a teacher or have children to buy books written for or about children
with diverse backgrounds. All you have to do is know that children are
suffering because they do not read enough high interest books and
because they are not exposed to an abundant of diverse books. This is
the problem. If we want children to truly become empathetic, culturally aware, tolerant, and contributing global citizens, who value self and others, they
have to read more diverse books, about themselves and the people around
them.
DuEwa Frazier
Children's Author of
Alice's Musical Debut (2019),
YA/middle grade author of Quincy Rules (2016) and Deanne in the Middle (2014)
Follow DuEwa on Twitter @duewafrazier1
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