The Gospel Of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion According To St Brook
I saw this and thought it was too good not to share, for each sentence in the graphic I'll share some thoughts on what the work we do is and why it's so important.
Equity (Is everyone getting a book): Yet 400K children in the UK do not own a single book.
Diversity (is everyone getting a different types of books): Like travelling, reading and reading diverse texts is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. 15% of children's books published in 2020 featured characters of colour but guess what? According to research by WordsRated, the percentage of Black characters in children's bestsellers decreased by 23% from 2020 to 2021. Children and stories from minority ethnic backgrounds do not cease to exist because representation is no longer a trend. To stay at the leading edge of our existence we must embrace diversity and with it diverse literature in order to expose children to the stories that often aren't told.
Equity (is everyone getting a book that fits): Not all children read at the same level. If a year 5 child reads at Key Stage 1 (KS1), then please provide them with engaging KS1 books to read. Note too that misusing reading levels is an equity issue. If pupils are not granted everyday access to engaging texts appropriate for their reading level, we deny them the right to improve their reading comprehension. So on that note, if a lower KS2 child is reading at KS3 level, lets provide them the appropriate material to keep reading at the level they've earned.
Acceptance (Understanding that we all read different kinds of books): Whatever the form of printed media we choose to read, reading is reading. Ergo, reading comics and magazines count as reading and will still develop a child's comprehension and love for literature. And while we're there, it's worth making sure our selection of comics and magazines for kids are diverse too.
Belonging (reading the book you want without fear of judgement): Without losing sight of the truth that not all representation is good representation and holding space for the authenticity of own voices, we should be able to read what we want whether the characters or authors are black, white or polka dot without fear of judgement. And while are here, let's take stock of the fact that immersing ourselves in someone else's story is often the best gift we can give them; in doing so, if our intentions are good, we allow ourselves to understand and accept them a bit more.
If your school or multi academy trusts would like to help upping your game with diverse, inclusive and representative literature, then send me a quick message or email me at ndah.mbawa@mbawabooks.co.uk