Editor's Note: Scroll down to see the photo gallery of Native writers and illustrators.
I spent an hour today in a twitter chat hosted by First Book. The chat was part of the We Need Diverse Books campaign.
In the chat I advocated for authors who are Native.
Right away--as usual--a white writer posed a question about white writers, asking the First Read host if authorship of a book matters.
Not surprisingly, First Book said that authorship does not matter. Diversity of characters is what they're after. That's the answer you get from, I'd guess, every publisher.
I persisted, though, because I do think it matters. Here's why:
Just about every book a kid picks up has white people in it. And, just about every book is written and illustrated by a white author or illustrator. For literally hundreds of years, white kids have seen themselves reflected in the books they read, and they've had the chance to see people who look like them as writers and illustrators of those books. By default, they've been able to see a possible-self. By default, they could imagine themselves as the writer or illustrator of that book. It may not have been a conscious thing, but it was the norm. The default. The air they breathe. Every day.
I want that for Native kids. I want them to see books written and illustrated by people who look like them. I want them to be able to think "Hmmm... I could be a writer, too, just like Cynthia Leitich Smith!" or "Hey! I could be an illustrator, too, just like S. D. Nelson!"
I understand that white authors and illustrators feel threatened by my advocacy, but my advocacy is for Native children who deserve the same affirmations white kids get all the time.
I'm closing this post with a tribute to Native writers and illustrators of books I've recommended on AICL. That tribute is photos of them. They are in no particular order. I'll keep adding to this gallery, because I don't have time right now to be comprehensive. I'll do my best, and I welcome you to write to me to let me know to add someone I've missed. Each person's tribe is beneath their name. If there are errors, I apologize, and please let me know.
American Indians in Children's Literature
presents
A Gallery of Native Writers and Illustrators
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| Cynthia Leitich Smith Muscogee Creek Image source: Cynsations http://goo.gl/0wneBW |
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| Michael Lacapa Apache, Hopi Image source: Northern Arizona Book Festival http://goo.gl/4POyCQ |
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| Louise Erdrich Turtle Mountain Chippewa Image source: Cleveland.com http://goo.gl/bXzSwn |
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| Eric Gansworth Onondaga Image source: Milkweed http://goo.gl/6FqBTB |
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| Nicola I. Campbell Nlel7kepmx, Nsilx and Metis Image source: The Word on the Street http://goo.gl/l284Ko |
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| Tim Tingle Choctaw Image source: My Very Own Book http://goo.gl/4KRgwp |
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| Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve Lakota Sioux Image source: Native Daughters http://goo.gl/1mCbDU |
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| Richard Van Camp Dogrib Image Source: Zimbio http://goo.gl/Zg8TNR |
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| Arigon Starr Kickapoo Image source: Starrwatcher Online http://goo.gl/hyLzhc |
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| S.D. Nelson Standing Rock Sioux |
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| Beverly Blacksheep Navajo |
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| Lee DeCora Francis, and her boys Penobscot |
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| Simon Ortiz Acoma |
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| Cheryl Savageau Abenaki |
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| Donald Uluadluak Inuit |
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| Jan Bourdeau Waboose Nishnawbe Ojibwe |
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| Daniel Wilson Cherokee |
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| Joy Harjo Mvskoke |
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| Shonto Begay Navajo |
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| Cheryl Minnema Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe |
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| Wesley Ballinger Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe |
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| Luci Tapahonso Navajo |
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| Greg Rodgers Choctaw |
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| Marcie Rendon White Earth Anishinabe |
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| Ofelia Zepeda Tohono O'Odham |
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| N. Scott Momaday Kiowa |
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| Laura Tohe Navajo |
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| Allan Sockabasin Passamaquoddy |
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| Julie Flett Metis |
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| Richard Wagamese Wabasseemoong Ojibway |
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| Leslie Marmon Silko Laguna |
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| Heid E. Erdrich Turtle Mountain Chippewa |
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| Deborah Miranda Esselen |
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| Anton Trueur Ojibwe |
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| John Rombough Chipewyan Dene |
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| James Welch Blackfeet/Gros Ventre |
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| Tomson Highway Cree |
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| George Littlechild Plains Cree |
4 comments:
Hi Debbie,
I'm an aspiring Zuni writer, and just recently discovered your blog. Thank you for your advocacy of Native writers, and all of your excellent reviews. Thanks to you, I now know I have so much reading material to catch up on. Maybe if I'd grown up reading more books written by authors like me, it wouldn't have taken me twenty years to be brave enough to start writing about my own experiences and heritage instead of the ambiguously white narrators that filled my childhood. I look forward to reading through your recommendations, and I'm excited about this campaign.
Thank you,
Kuwi
This is great. I saw the #WeNeedDiverseBooks tag trending and I couldn't agree more. Children need to be able to relate to authors, illustrators, editors and characters. It shows the possibilities for their lives.
Oh FABULOUS!!
I have a small book website dedicated to science fiction and fantasy for teens and young adults of Color. While my focus is on providing books with diverse main characters and I don't have a problem with respectful White authors, I 100% agree that children should see authors and illustrators that share their background.
I would be grateful for suggestions of science fiction and fantasy books to add to my website, I'm always looking (and usually behind) to add more good books for our kids. My age range is 10ish to 25ish, and yes, I put that with the listings, along with parental warnings.
And if you don't mind, I'm going to add your blog to my resources page. Great job, great words, and keep up the good work!!
Ruth de Jauregui
I’m trying to find a book my mother bought me in the 1950’s. I’m now 68 years young. I loved horses and what I remember about the book was the setting in the Southwest featuring a young Native American Indian Boy, his horse which runs off and has an encounter with a mountain lion. It was beautifully illustrated! I remember a canyon, a rain storm. I don’t know the name of the book, or the author or illustrator. But it must have been published in the 1940s or 1950s. Any help you can provide in tracking down this book would be greatly appreciated.
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