Day 80: My Bookshelf

This afternoon I "attended" a rally on Facebook Live, hosted by The Brown Bookshelf. I saw it on Twitter, posted by Scholastic Storyworks editor Lauren Tarshis. There was a special session for parents and educators, I had no idea what to expect. I intended to listen and learn. I will admit that I didn't know I would be completely smacked in the face with something I can change in my classroom  quite easily.

Paula Chase, author, started the Kid Lit for Black Lives Rally for teachers and parents with the call to "humanize black people".  I was listening, but apparently not hearing until she fully explained herself. She made a call to have books on our bookshelves that don't only highlight the pain and struggle of black people, but humanize them in "normal" stories. And that's when I sat up. I love to read. I love books.  And I know what's on my shelf:

• One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams
• Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Martin's Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport
• The Watson's go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis
• The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles
• Thank You, Jackie Robinson,  by Barbara Cohen
• Stealing Home, by Barry Denenberg
• Bud, Not Buddy, by Christoper Paul Curtis
• Roll of Thunder, Hear my  Cry, by Mildred Taylor
• Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince & his Orchestra, by Andrew Davis Pinkney
• New Kid, by Jerry Craft

Maybe there's more that I don't remember, but I'm betting this is it. First, it's a short list. Second the books come into two categories. Possibly with the exception of one book, they are all either biographies, or historical fiction. At the core of their stories they highlight the struggle and pain of African Americans.  True, in most cases they also show grit and determination, but they focus on the conflict, not the joy. There are no "normal" stories on my shelf.

This revelation happened in the first 7 minutes of this event. I can't even really begin to tell you how gobsmacked I am by this whole idea.  I'm still thinking about it, several hours later. The idea that the way black people are perceived on my bookshelves matters is earthshaking. Actually, it's not that it matters that is shocking, but that I had it wrong.  As I was telling my mom, being close to having this correct is not close enough. History IS important, and all the books I currently have should stay. Kids should read historical fiction and put themselves in those shoes. But they also need to know that black people, black kids, are normal people.  That they don't just experience pain. That they also experience joy. One of the authors at the event, Denene Millner, said, "Joy is resistance. Joy is revolutionary."  Renee Watson asked teachers specifically to find books that highlight "black joy".

Do I know what books to buy? Nope.  Will I be able to find a list somewhere on the Internet, tonight? Yep. 💗 I had declared that this was the summer I wasn't going to do any schoolwork. That felt like a refreshing declaration after this spring. But now it looks like a summer of curating and reading. That's my kind of summer.

One more takeaway, that is more cerebral than overhauling my bookshelf, was from author Jerry Craft in his explaining of how to understand Black Lives Matter. I believe he was targeting the idea that it implies that other lives don't matter. I think we've all heard that rebuttal. His example was this (his idea, but not verbatim): We say, "save the whales", but we don't go out and kill dolphins. "Saving the Amazon" forest doesn't mean that you should go light Yellowstone on fire.

Fifteen authors read or spoke at this event, and I'm still processing a lot of it. I have notes to pour over, and a student library to add to.  Is this alone going to change the world? Probably not.  But there is a systemic problem with race in our country. I've been teaching for 22 years and my bookshelf has always looked this way. That looks to me like part of the problem.  And I shall fix it! 💕