What of Our Future Readers and Writers by Donna Hill

September 9, 2009

As an author of contemporary fiction, geared primarily for adults, my focus in capturing that audience, has for the most part, has been rather insular. I write with a particular purpose and intent.  All of my marketing (however small or large that may be) is directed at this audience—whether real or imagined.  Every now and then all of the pieces fall into place and a book will do “really well.” And in between writing these mechanisms of escape for my readership, I try to read in every moment that is available to me.  As a result I’m a frequent visitor to my local bookstore and more recently to my “Kindle store.”

Today, something happened to my insular focus.  Today was my granddaughter’s birthday. She turned an amazing four years old.  A milestone in the world of a child.  So of course, being a writer and a loud advocate for reading “by any means necessary,” I went in search of the ideal gift—which of course was a book.

For the first few minutes, I was like a fish out of water, wandering the aisles of Barnes and Noble and squinting at headings that read “New Readers,” “0-3,” “3-7.”  Yes, 3-7 that was for her!  So I begin to scan the shelves in search of something that would inspire her, make her giggle in that way that I love, teach her something new. And as I looked and looked, a disturbing fact grew painfully clear.  There was not one book in the entire children’s section of Barnes & Noble that was a reflection of my beautiful, bright, brown granddaughter. Nothing. Nada. Zippo.

I remember the same feeling of disappointment and emptiness when my daughters and then my son were growing up.  I was fortunate to find a few books for them and then they came of age where they could read Walter Dean Myers.

We are in the new millennium, post racial Obama world, a progressive society. Yet, not much has changed in the world of literature when it comes to black readers. Our young children will grow up thirsting for images of themselves just as we did. Or worst deciding not to read because they cannot relate.  We can’t let that happen.

I know there are black books out there for young readers.  But why must we struggle and hunt to find them? Of course they will be in our black bookstores, however day by day there are fewer of them as well.

As parents, aunties, uncles, and friends of these beautiful black children, we must make it our business to nurture a generation of readers.  That is where our power rests—in the hands of those whose minds have been challenged and enlightened and who grow up believing that acquiring knowledge is something that can never be taken from them. Those who were taught from early on that there is value in who they are, beauty in who they are, who can look around them and “see” that they are in fact important parts of this society.

So, I walked out of Barnes & Noble today with a picture book filled with animals and cartoons, then went on line in search of Just Us Books to see if I could place an order.  And as I wrapped my granddaughters birthday gift, a chilling thought ran through my mind—suppose all of the black books for young readers were in the “children’s urban book” section!!!