Representation Is Important
- Vatoyia Gardner
- May 25
- 2 min read
When I first attended the National Book
Festival held annually in Washington, DC, I was elated! I met the authors of my favorite YA books, heard them speak, and got pictures and autographs. The icing on the cake was being photographed with the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden. Before becoming a librarian, I would tell people I wanted to become a librarian, and the response was, "Isn't that a profession for older white women with glasses hanging from a chain and wearing a cardigan?" What I heard was, "Black women don't become librarians!" I beg to differ! Seeing Carla Hayden obtain this position was positive and reaffirming. To see her dismissal has been hurtful and infuriating. I continue to be passionate about reading and connecting people with information, but with more determination to read and recommend books from every shade of literature that empower people to be their best selves.
Reading has always been my getaway. If I didn't want to do household chores or needed a break from my reality, my go-to was reading. I enjoyed seeing how other people lived and imagining how other places looked while reading my books. The problem was that I didn't have any books that reflected me. Was I not important enough to have an author have characters who looked like me, lived like me, or encountered the same challenges of life like me?
The problem with children not seeing themselves represented in literature sends the subliminal message: "You are not seen. You are not significant." REPRESENTATION IN LITERATURE IS IMPORTANT! Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, professor emerita, saw the value of cultural representation in children's literature and wrote a piece entitled "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors."
EVERY child deserves to have themselves seen and heard. Every child has a voice. What better way to enforce this truth than through literature? When a child sees a book cover with someone who looks like them, that immediately connects him/her to the literature. Their story matters! All our stories matter!
Vatoyia this is an important and necessary topic. Representation does matter. Representation for ALL matters! Although recent tactics want to erase Black History and voices, we must keep writing to ensure our stories are told from our perspective and in print to be forever stamped for future generations. Thank you for leading with your voice, blog, and outreach. I appreciate all you do to ensure Shades of Unique Literature represents all, so we can relate to what we read.