A Discussion on Diversity at The Bookseller’s Children Conference

At every opportunity to discuss publishing, there is always one person of colour present to remind everyone that changes need to be made to push for more diversity and representation. It’s almost tiring to hear them repeat themselves, yet they keep championing change because they understand the importance of diversity, especially for children.  

Opening the Bookseller’s Children’s Conference was Aimée Felone, managing director of Knights Of, telling the audience of her early experiences in the industry. At the start of her career, she said she was often the only Black woman in the office and alluded to the fact that the industry hasn’t changed. Aimée continued saying that while there has always been some representation, often what was present was ‘extremely lacking or extremely damaging.’ Her company’s ethos is to work towards dispelling common statements spread in publishing, such as ‘why are diverse books important?’ and ‘why can’t diverse kids just read the books on offer?’ These harmful statements are often heard in publishing circles, and I have been told many times to “pretend” the characters in a book are Brown so that I could identify with them. But that shouldn’t be the norm. Publishers do not see the worth in publishing diverse books for children, yet Knights Of has been able to find its audience and thrive, even winning Children’s Publisher of the Year in 2022. However, Aimée did reiterate that they cannot be the sole solution to the problem of diversity in the industry, and I find myself having to echo this statement. It should not be left to small publishers to fill the gaps; if anything, it is a wake-up call for bigger publishers to step up. 

If publishers need any more of a reminder of why representation in children’s books is vital. Dr Pragya Agarwal, behavioural scientist and author, highlighted in the panel titled ‘Addressing the Tough Stuff’ that ‘children as young as six months old start developing a notion of biases and prejudices through words and language.’ Whether it is stereotypes of gender roles or racial biases, children unconsciously pick up these cues and here lies the importance of reading diversly. Dr Agarwal emphasised that to address issues of racism, children should be reading books that offer them a look into other cultures and peoples to understand them and be ‘better allies.’ But she also suggested that diverse books are essential for diverse children to become comfortable in their identities without changing to fit into an environment that would rather not notice them. 

Publishers, especially those in the children’s market, have a responsibility to provide books where every child can see themselves. As a woman of colour hoping to start a career in publishing, I feel disheartened that even in 2022, we are still not seeing the big pushes needed for diversity in publishing. However, I am glad, so many passionate and strong individuals continue to stand and fight for change.

Image Credit: Photo by Womanizer Toys on Unsplash