AN ARTS organisation has published an anti-racist children’s book list for Black History Month.
Writing Our Legacy’s free resource is aimed at children under 13 and features recommended reading about racial inclusion and racial justice.
The Sussex-based organisation hopes the list will encourage adults to educate and have conversations with their children about racial justice.
Artist Susana Amoah, from Brighton, pictured, put the list together. She said: “Discussing race and racism with young children can be quite a task. Sometimes it is difficult to find the appropriate language to effectively explain how race and racism impacts the society we live in or explain why and how racism should be challenged.
“Children’s literature can be used as a powerful resource for these situations.”
The list is organised by age suitability and includes picture book recommendations for babies and toddlers. such as The Anti Racist Baby Picture Book by Ibram X Kendi and A Is For Activist by Innosanto Nagara. It also includes work by authors including Lupita Nyong’o, Tiffany Jewell and Jelani Memory.
The project team is now commissioning an list for teenagers and is calling for recommendations.
Amy Zamarripa Solis, chairwoman and programme manager, said: “It’s important for black, Asian and mixed-race children and young people to see themselves reflected in the books they read.
“We’ve been asked so many times over the years for children and young adult book recommendations, so this book list is a start.”
To mark Black History Month, Writing Our Legacy has created a guide to events happening around Brighton. On Friday, October 30, it will host an online writers of colour social featuring authors Eleanor Hope and Sharron Duggal.
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