You can't have too many books featuring people of color, just like you can't have too many books featuring white people.
Interpretation
Diversity in literature is essential, and representation matters for all races.
Jacqueline Woodson emphasizes the importance of inclusive literature, arguing that just as it is valuable to have a range of stories featuring white characters, it is equally vital to have a variety of stories that represent people of color. This statement advocates for a balanced and diverse literary landscape where all voices are heard and celebrated, promoting understanding and empathy across different cultures.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of diverse voices in literature.
'Brown Girl Dreaming' was a book I had a lot of doubts about - mainly, would this story be meaningful to anyone besides me? My editor, Nancy Paulsen, kept assuring me, but there were moments when I was in a really sad place with the story for so many reasons. It wasn't an easy book to write - emotionally, physically, or creatively.
In the midst of observing the world and coming to consciousness, I was becoming a writer, and what I wanted to put on the page were the stories of people who looked like me.
Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.
I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again.
The strength of my mother is something I didn't pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, 'I'm getting my kids out of here. I'm creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'
I would have written 'Brown Girl Dreaming' if no one had ever wanted to buy it, if it went nowhere but inside a desk drawer that my own children pulled out one day to find a tool for survival, a symbol of how strong we are and how much we've come through.
I learned to write fiction the way I learned to read fiction - by skipping the parts that bored me.
Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true: Teachers? Teachers make a difference! Now what about you?
In order to learn, one must change one's mind.
Schools should take part in the great work of construction and organization that will have to be done.
Growing up, I took so many cues from books. They taught me most of what I knew about what people did, about how to behave. They were my teachers and my advisers.
People start panicking because they think it's the end of everything. But the fact is, you know, books survived movies; books survived TV. Books are surviving manga and anime. Books will always be there in one form or another. You just have a larger palette of entertainment options.
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