Publishers Weekly Nod to the CBC Diversity Committee

CBC Diversity Committee at Kick-off

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Bluemle

Last week the CBC Diversity Committee was honored with a wonderfully detailed article in Publishers Weekly. PW writer John A. Sellers contacted the chair, Nancy Mercado; vice-chair, Alvina Ling; and the Children's Book Council to get the whole story behind the formation of the CBC Diversity Committee. Sellers' article takes the reader back to the beginning when the committee that represents CBC Diversity today was just a group of like-minded editors from varying houses trying to make a difference. Fast forward to a year later when their group was brought to the attention of the CBC by Ling and wham!, the CBC Diversity Committee was born.

Not only does the article explain the beginnings of the CBC Diversity Committee and the thought-process of the members behind the initiative, it also highlights some of the great things the Committee and its partners have been up to including the CBC Diversity Goodreads list that is constantly expanding, the school visits performed by committee members at the beginning of this month, and the "It's Complicated!" blog series that was just wrapped up last week.

If you're new to the blog or even a constant follower, check out the PW article and then come back and explore all the different offerings of this site with fresh eyes!

It Is Even More Complicated than Most People Know...

An "It's Complicated!" post by Debbie Reese, assistant professor of American Indian studies at the University of Illinois

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When Nancy Mercado invited me to submit a post for CBC’s “It’s Complicated” series, I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the audience of CBC’s Diversity Blog. In her invitation, she wrote that CBC defines diversity in terms of “cultural/ethnic/religious/class/sexual diversity.”

I’m complicating the definition by adding “nation” because while American Indians have specific cultural or religious ways of being that mark us as diverse from the mainstream, the most significant marker is our political status as sovereign nations. Within an Indigenous sovereign nation, you could find people who don’t have the hair or skin color, or other features commonly—we could say stereotypically—attributed to American Indians. I’ll complicate the discussion even further by saying that there are people who are citizens of sovereign nations, and, there are people who are descendants of someone who was/is a citizen of a sovereign nation. Going one step further in complication, there are sovereign nations that are federally recognized, some that are state recognized, and some that are not recognized at all.

Most people don’t know anything at all about tribal sovereignty and what it means. Without that knowledge, it can be difficult for outsiders to write stories that ring true to our experiences as American Indians. In fact, it can be difficult for someone of a sovereign tribal nation at one end of the country to write about a nation at the other end, but someone who knows their nation, its history, its ways of being, and the ways it has been misrepresented has a leg up on anyone else. They know that there is a lot they do not know, and they know that standard sources aren’t the place to go for the information they need to write a story that holds up to the eye of someone of that tribal nation.

Writing Outside Your Perspective

An "It's Complicated!" post by editor Cheryl Klein

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Cheryl Klein

One of the most common questions that comes up around diversity is the issue of “Who can write what”—whether an author of one race can create a character of another, whether that character is then authentic, who gets to decide all this. When I’ve considered these situations as an editor, my judgment almost always starts with how much that writer is willing and able to radically decenter himself and his own privileges and biases in favor of those of his fictional character and culture, rendered in all its lights and shades . . . which also presupposes the writer has done enough research or gained enough experience with that culture to render the lights and shades authentically.

As an example, let’s suppose I just finished reading a manuscript written by a white woman but told from a Mexican-American teenage boy’s perspective, and overall, I liked the manuscript: I found the characters involving and multi-dimensional, the plot was fresh and smart and kept me turning the pages, the themes were woven deeply into the story and thought-provoking — and all of that would incline me toward acquiring it. But as a person who thinks a lot about diversity issues, I would at that point pause a moment and ask myself: Did the voice sound believable to me as that of a Mexican-American teenager, given the character and the world the author created around him? (Here I have to acknowledge that I myself am a white woman, and keep an eye on my own privileges, biases, and knowledge/lack thereof.

Here I have to acknowledge that I myself am a white woman, and keep an eye on my own privileges, biases, and knowledge/lack thereof.

Feeding the Demand for More Diverse Books

An "It's Complicated!" post by literary agent Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel

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While on faculty at the National Latino Writers Conference last Thursday, a timely USA TODAY headline read:

For the first time in US history, more than half of all newborn babies born last year are minorities. The entire US population is 36% minority, and this milestone shows how swiftly our nation’s youth is diversifying. 

Yet a recent study by the SCBWI found that in 2010 more than 90 percent of children’s/young adult books published in the US featured white protagonists. As a literary agent, I’ve found it’s important to show publishers there is a demand, and in turn help them feel confident to publish even more diverse voices. As an author advocate, I believe it’s critical for writers of color to see their fellow writers succeed. As a mother, I know it’s urgent that we make sure young readers see themselves in the books they read.

The debut middle-grade novel by Diana Lopez, Confetti Girl (Little, Brown), is an example of a book filled with diversity that doesn’t focus on diversity but instead wraps diversity around a wonderful story. Apolina “Lina” Flores is a sock enthusiast, volleyball player and science lover looking for answers about her life. Filled with colorful Mexican-American cultural details such as dichos, confetti-filled cascarones and cumbia dances, the story struck a chord with middle-schoolers nationwide. 

A Prayer to the Silent

An "It's Complicated!" post by author Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Nobody wants to be called a bigot or a traitor.

Meanwhile, nearly every author must write characters and situations that spring from beyond her own experiences, identity markers and comfort zone. If your specialty is, say, nonfiction about creatures of the sea, perhaps not. But muse on the global environmental-industrial-health effects of overfishing or, hey, toss in a merman, and believe me, you’re right back in the thick of it.

If you live in the world, you’re in this conversation—and, yes, staying quiet is a statement, too. What that silence means may vary from writer to writer, but for far too many, it’s a product of fear.

You, the fearfully silent, I’m talking to you. Have you ever thought “I’ll mess up” or “they’ll reject me,” and then set aside a story or character or plot line?

If so, you’re not alone. As a teacher and mentor, I’ve heard those thoughts expressed countless times.

Usually, “I’ll mess up” comes from those seeking to reflect someone different from themselves. Different in terms of culture, ethnicity, region, religion, sexual orientation, social class or another attribute that folks use to, at least in part, define themselves and each other…one that carries with it baggage and lends itself to heightened sensitivities.

You who care so much that you’re immobilized, silenced, I’m asking you to make yourselves heard. You already know how. Set aside preconceptions, take advice, study. Make friends and listen to them—when they talk and when they’re quiet. Risk rejection. Ask permission. Take no for an answer. Don’t take no for an answer. Weigh differing opinions. Admit mistakes. Learn from them.

It's Complicated!

Blog series introduction and welcome by CBC Diversity Committee Chair, Nancy Mercado

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One of my favorite things about being on the CBC Diversity Committee is hearing the stories, ideas and concerns that are shared around the table at our monthly meetings. The committee is working towards concrete goals, but it also serves as a good old fashioned consciousness-raising group. By this I mean that we are able to have honest conversations about diversity in children's publishing and elevate our own discourse by listening to everyone's experiences, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in the process. These closed-door meetings are incredibly useful, but we wanted to open up the conversation to a much wider audience. To that end, we are introducing a new blog series called It's Complicated!

The internet can often be a rough-and-tumble kind of place when it comes to complex and layered discussions, but we think it’s possible and necessary to have a respectful and open forum where we are able to chat about some of the challenges that we face, as well as the opportunities that exist when we come together as a community. So what are some of the challenges we face? Well, I’ll give you a glimpse into some of the things we’ve discussed around our table:

Antonio Gonzalez: How I Got into Publishing

Like many who work in publishing, books have always played a vital role in my life. No matter what stage of my life I’m in — I’ve always been drawn to books.

My publishing journey began at the age of 14. I was hired on as a page for the Dallas Public Library. Every weekday afterschool from 4 to 10 at night I shelved oversize reference books, aerial photographs, yellowing newspaper clippings, old-timey magazines, journals, small-town phone books, and even micro-fiche (!!). This was the dawning of the internet era; in between shelving, I’d teach patrons how to “surf the internet,” how to send email, and how to download Netscape Navigator and AOL.

During my breaks, however, I’d sneak away to the most secluded niches of the building to read my favorite books like Kate Chopin’s The Awakening or Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.