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Using Multicultural Literature
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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 11:09:23 -0600
I want to go back to two things that have been said: Claudia Pearson's statement, "IMO, as long as "multicultural" books are perceived as having been written for a special "multicultural" audience, instead of being perceived as able to speak to ALL children, publishers are going to continue to ignore the vast market these books could have among white readers." and KT Horning's comment that, "We consumers and librarians have to take our share of the blame. We've been too quick to accept a mindset that children always have to identify with the race or ethnicity of the character in a book. "
Here in Wisconsin we have communities that are visibily diverse, and communities that are not, and I have talked to librarians who struggle with what to do because they purchase multicultural books but then don't see them circulating. And I think this mindset is at the root of many of those struggles. I encourage them to find multicultural books to incorporate into the displays and programming they are doing--not just because they are mutlicultural books, but because they are great books that fit thematically with a lot of different topics. Buying them isn't necessarily enough. If you live in a large, visibility diverse community, that is obvious, but it isn't always obvious to librarians and teachers in communities that are more homogenous (although yes, I challenge that perception). We have a incredible opportunity to model our appreciation for books as librarians and teachers, and if we incorporate diversity without making a big deal of it (although of course there are times when we want to make a big deal of it, like when celebrating award books like the CSK) I think the impact can be profound.
I'm writing this as a challenge for all of us, regardless of where we live, to make it a point to incorporate multicultural literature into everything we are doing. The books are out there--great books--to do just that. We have a professional responsibility to meet the divsere needs and interests of our communities, and part of that is not making assumptions about who those communities are and what they are interested in or will appeal to them, and to look at multiclutural literature first and foremost as literature. Do we really want kids to miss out on great books because we assume they won't be interested based on the color of a character's skin? I think if we are hesitant to purchase such books because we don't think they are relevant to our communities, then we will certainly be hesitant to feature them and so yes, they sit on the shelf. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Megan
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 11:09:23 -0600
I want to go back to two things that have been said: Claudia Pearson's statement, "IMO, as long as "multicultural" books are perceived as having been written for a special "multicultural" audience, instead of being perceived as able to speak to ALL children, publishers are going to continue to ignore the vast market these books could have among white readers." and KT Horning's comment that, "We consumers and librarians have to take our share of the blame. We've been too quick to accept a mindset that children always have to identify with the race or ethnicity of the character in a book. "
Here in Wisconsin we have communities that are visibily diverse, and communities that are not, and I have talked to librarians who struggle with what to do because they purchase multicultural books but then don't see them circulating. And I think this mindset is at the root of many of those struggles. I encourage them to find multicultural books to incorporate into the displays and programming they are doing--not just because they are mutlicultural books, but because they are great books that fit thematically with a lot of different topics. Buying them isn't necessarily enough. If you live in a large, visibility diverse community, that is obvious, but it isn't always obvious to librarians and teachers in communities that are more homogenous (although yes, I challenge that perception). We have a incredible opportunity to model our appreciation for books as librarians and teachers, and if we incorporate diversity without making a big deal of it (although of course there are times when we want to make a big deal of it, like when celebrating award books like the CSK) I think the impact can be profound.
I'm writing this as a challenge for all of us, regardless of where we live, to make it a point to incorporate multicultural literature into everything we are doing. The books are out there--great books--to do just that. We have a professional responsibility to meet the divsere needs and interests of our communities, and part of that is not making assumptions about who those communities are and what they are interested in or will appeal to them, and to look at multiclutural literature first and foremost as literature. Do we really want kids to miss out on great books because we assume they won't be interested based on the color of a character's skin? I think if we are hesitant to purchase such books because we don't think they are relevant to our communities, then we will certainly be hesitant to feature them and so yes, they sit on the shelf. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Megan
--
Megan Schliesman, Librarian
Cooperative Children's Book Center
School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
600 N. Park Street, Room 4290
Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503
schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
My regular hours are T-F, 8-4:30.
---
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Received on Tue 04 Feb 2014 11:13:46 AM CST
