They are trying to kill us.
This is not an exaggeration. This is not click-bait or rhetoric. They (by which I mean the whole fucking world) are trying to kill us. The murder of Renisha McBride is the latest, tragic example. When you are attacked at all levels for simply existing, every damn day is a struggle.
Real talk, if all you see in the media is that you’re not worth anything & you know you are? Everything you do is revolutionary. – Mikki Kendall
I have these words written on a Post-it and tacked up in my cubicle. They are a constant reminder that my actions are not too small, my interests are not insignificant, and that my survival is enough.
This is how I take care of myself. This is how I re-assert my worth. These are my acts of resistance.
Selfies
Whenever I look cute, I snap a photo. Whenever I feel fly, I snap a photo. Whenever I pass a mirror and realize how regal I am, I blow myself a kiss… then snap a photo. I have an entire Facebook album titled “This is why I’m hot.” And I’m not even sorry. I do not seek external validation of my appearance. After all isn’t what all those “love your body, love your self” campaigns are about? But if I decide to express that love I’m vain? Yeah… no.
Beyoncé and Janelle Monáe
I got an iPod just so I could listen to music in the car when the radio got too repetitive. So far I only have Beyoncé and Janelle Monáe tracks on there. They’re all I need. These women are very different from each other but they are powerhouses and their music lifts me all the way up. I went to a Beyoncé concert this summer and cried. It was that joyful. I love her because she is unapologetically happy. To be a Black woman in the spotlight and dare to declare yourself a Queen? Powerful.
I also recently attended Janelle Monáe’s concert. Remind me to write a post about how much writers could learn from her world-building. She is a force! Here is some footage I took of the concert. Forgive the shaky camera–I was jamming.
Scandal
No matter how hard the week has been I can always look forward to #ScandalThursday. The show is so deliciously dramatic, and Olivia Pope is a such a mesmerizing, aggravating, wonderful character that I (and all of Twitter) can’t help but tune in every week. Since the golden age of 90s TV, Olivia Pope is really the first nuanced black woman lead character that I have ever seen. The other show quickly climbing my list of “must watch and live-tweet” is Sleepy Hollow. Abbie and Jenny Mills are fantastic! Yay for Black sisterhood!
My work
I can’t do everything. The system is huge and overwhelming and when I think about it I feel powerless. But I can pick a cause. I have picked a cause. Advocating for racial diversity is a tangible way for me to resist the erasure of people who look like me. I already work in children’s publishing and have made increasing diversity part of my job description. One of the primary mandates of this website is to discuss and promote diversity in publishing. My long term goals include creating organizations and sustainable programs to support writers and readers of color. These concrete tasks give focus to my rage and make progress measurable. It is empowering for my to know that I am making a difference.
These are just a few of the things that help me get through each day. Feel free to try them yourself, or share your own techniques in the comments.
I just found your website after following Lee and Low books.
I am a writer. I write picture books and Middle grade. There has to be a way for children to see more people of color in books. I don’t think the publishing world realize the importance of this.
48 states in the USA adopted the Common Core State Standards. Elementary schools are cutting history and science. Now the reading teachers will have to teach science and social studies/history in language arts/reading classes. We need these books as supplemental aid in the classroom. The educational trade market will not be enough to meet the needs of million of children.
Literary agents advertise, they want quirky character driven books. We need more than quirky character driven books. We do want children to be entertained, but we also need children to be informed. I can only write about so many animals with human traits hiding in trash cans, creating chaos, and kissing Mama good night! (NO READ INTENDED)
Quirky did not make history; it contributed. I want to see strong female characters in middle grade, picture books, and young adults. I want the strength to come from within. But we have to allow the environments to shape these characters and if you are coming from the hood, sometimes the ending will not be peachy, peachy. Life is not always designed to have a happy ending.
I wrote a picture book about a bully, and the little girl tried to solve her own problem by giving the bully a dose of her own medicine. My critique group says, “You cannot address revenge in a picture book.”
I want the next kid who is thinking of bullying someone to think twice by saying, “What if she did that.” In Jamaica, we say, “A scared man is a dangerous man!” Meaning you should think twice because you never know how people react when they feel backed in a corner.
We need books to spark conversation among children, adults, and the community. Not all our children will be Beyonce’s and Olivia Pope’s in the future. But we want them to be thinkers, doers, and seekers of knowledge.
In conclusion, and in my Olivia Pope voice, “Gladiators handle things. That is what we do!” So our diverse writers are gladiators. They know how to handle things and bring something to the table. Let us do what we do.