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On Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, We Need Diverse Books remembers that no one is free until everyone is free. Today we remember stories too frequently left untold: Trayvon Martin wanted to be a pilot....

On Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, We Need Diverse Books remembers that no one is free until everyone is free. Today we remember stories too frequently left untold:

Trayvon Martin wanted to be a pilot. Michael Brown loved playing pranks. Tamir Rice filmed silly videos with a friend. Eric Garner tended plants as a horticulturist. Sandra Bland wanted to stop racial injustice in the South. Philando Castile remembered the allergies of all the students in the cafeteria where he worked. Ahmaud Arbery made his mother laugh to get out of trouble. Breonna Taylor planned to start a family. George Floyd grew up making banana mayonnaise sandwiches with his brother. Dominique Fells was quick with a smile. Riah Milton adored her family. Rayshard Brooks wanted to take his daughter skating for her birthday.

Their lives, the lives behind every hashtag, and the lives of those whose names we do not know mattered. Their loved ones and communities matter. The stories of Black people in the United States have always been more than the ways in which they ended. Today we honor all of them.

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Jun 19, 2020

Today Breonna Taylor would have been 27 years old. Her life mattered. Breonna was an award-winning EMT and first responder in Lousiville, KY, who loved helping her patients and her community.

We post these action items on her birthday: 

Credit to Ariel Sinha and Imosemen Omiunu for the art and graphics. More action items, including a script for emailing.

(Source: msha.ke)

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Jun 05, 2020

blackgirlslit:

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After learning what Black Out Tuesday was originally intended to be, I too would like to use this opportunity to boast about some black creators and their work that needs more attention.

These are the three books, two graphic novels and one poetry book, that I will be reading this week.

✊🏾 I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina and illustrated by Stacey Robinson & John Jennings with a foreword by Bryan Stevenson:

When an off-duty officer mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun, Alfonso Jones wakes up in the afterlife guided by fellow victims of police shootings. Meanwhile, Alfonso’s family and friends struggle with their grief and seek justice for Alfonso’s murder.


✊🏾Your Black Friend and Other Strangers by Ben Passmore:

Described as required reading for those seeking to be useful allies in the fight for justice, this collection of culturally charged comics tackles race, gentrification, the prison system, racial micro-aggressions, and more with both humor and relatability.


✊🏾Say Her Name by Zetta Elliot and illustrated Loveis Wise:

In this collection of haikus and poems, Elliot creates a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls while also paying tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists championing for the Black Lives Matter cause.


I encourage everyone to check out these books, support a independent bookstore (especially Black-owned ones!!!) and your local libraries. And as always, BLACK LIVES MATTER! And please don’t forget to let your Black joy shine!

- Veronika ✊🏾


IG: @black_girls_lit

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Jun 03, 2020
Centuries of racism and oppression have defined the United States. The death of George Floyd is an unwanted reminder that we must all take a stand. We join with the many activists and creatives who are protesting against systemic racism, white...

Centuries of racism and oppression have defined the United States. The death of George Floyd is an unwanted reminder that we must all take a stand. We join with the many activists and creatives who are protesting against systemic racism, white supremacy, and policy brutality.

We will use the WNDB platform to promote anti-racism and #BlackLivesMatter resources and literature for children and adults, starting with these, which we will update continuously. If you have a resource to add, please email alainalavoie@diversebooks.org.

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Fund Racial Justice: Where to Donate 

A place to start, for everyone who can afford to donate. (Graphic credit to @allthingseka on Twitter/Instagram)

  • George Floyd Memorial Fund - Official GoFundMe to support the Floyd family. 
  • Minnesota Freedom Fund - Community-based nonprofit that pays criminal bail and immigration bonds for individuals who have been arrested while protesting police brutality.
  • Black Visions Collective - A Black, trans, and queer-led organizations that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence, and shifting the public narrative to create transformative, long-term change. 
  • Reclaim the Block - Coalition that advocates for and invests in community-led safety initiatives in Minneapolis neighborhoods. 
  • Campaign Zero - Online platform and organization that utilizes research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in the U.S. 
  • Unicorn Riot - Non-profit organization that is dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues. 

(Source: diversebooks.org)

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Jun 01, 2020

Art Must Engage With Black Vitality, Not Just Black Pain

Books like ‘The Fire This Time’ give depth and nuance to a reflection of Blackness in America

“This is why the publishing industry may be quick to label books “Black Lives Matter” for marketing purposes as “an easier sell,” rather than acknowledge that the Black Lives Matter movement and the terrorizing of Black bodies are not one in the same. When the Black pain narrative is used to try to bring awareness but doesn’t examine the systems in place, these stories cater to the idea that Black people need to be saved, not that our political structures need to be questioned and altered.”

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Sep 29, 2017
"We are constantly being told to choose between our Black identity and our queer identity because people never see us as both. It seems as if we can’t be one without having the other invalidated. Creating more characters in YA books that proudly identify as both black and queer would make reading a more diverse representation of how the world really is and show others that we are not invisible, show us that we are not invisible. Black lives matter and it’s important that we see ourselves and that others see us too. The lack of Black representation in YA is a problem that needs to be addressed and needs to change. Black Lives Matter needs to be more than just a trending hashtag for a week, more than just a weak string of words that will break apart when it’s cut with a pair of safety scissors. If Black lives matter, then where are we and where are our stories?"
- Black Lives Matter But Where Are We? - Aliya (sonderreality)

(Source: lemonyandbeatrice, via richincolor)

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Jan 05, 2015

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