We create books that blaze trails and color outside the lines.

As a result of white people's historical domination of publishing, people of color continue to be conditioned to see white people as being more worthy of being represented in books than they are. This self-perpetuating cycle discourages writers and other publishing professionals from reinforcing this hierarchy by putting themselves forward.

Even today, people of color are encouraged to read books that feature white characters rather than characters who look like themselves. They begin to internalize this message, which discourages them from writing about their communities.

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To make children of color feel like they belong in the stories they're reading, children's books must represent the diversity of their audiences. The bookshelves at home, in school classrooms, and libraries, need to change for many children to see images or stories that reflect who they are, who their friends are, or written in a tone that describes them.

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I challenge parents, teachers, and librarians to "CHANGE THE SHELVES" and include more books written by African American authors, both traditional and self-published. This does not mean we want to do away with books written by white authors; we want to even the playing field.

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#changetheshelves #diversifyreading #makeusvisible