I think I do speak for a lot of people when I say that this week have been one that has been eye-opening to say the least. The brutal death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests in the US have had a ripple effect across the globe. And rightly so.
As a White Person, I have an inherent privilege due to my skin colour. I have never had to experience racist taunts due to my appearance. I do not have to fear being arrested based on physically fitting a stereotype. I will never understand what BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Colour) have to deal with in their everyday life. But I do want to stand up. And I want to do better. Because saying nothing is no longer an option.
We need to do better because we have systematic racism in our own country.
- An Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander woman is 21.2% more likely to be incarcerated than a white woman
- The Royal Commission reported 432 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have died in incarceration since 1991.
- In 2016 it was reported that about 1 in 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were imprisoned and is increasing at an alarming rate
Honestly, I could continue with these statistics. They are frightening.
I have had my light bulb moment. I have woken up and realised how blinded and conditioned I am by my own privilege. I need to learn. And unlearn. For me this is starting in my own home. Because this is where I have the greatest impact. On my own children.
After doing a survey on my own children's books (of which we own many), I have realised that we only have a handful of books that feature diverse characters. I am determined to change this. With the help of a number of resources I have compiled a list of books suitable for the 0-10 age group. I am planning to continue to purchase books from this list over the next few weeks so that I can introduce Diversity, being Inclusive & empathy to my kids.
"I'm Australian Too" by Mem Fox
"Hello Little Babies" by Alison Lester
"Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes" by Mem Fox & Helen Oxenbury
"Everywhere Babies" by Susan Meyers
"All Are Welcome" by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
"Lovely" by Jess Hong
"The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi
"Just the Way We Are" by Jessica Shirvington & Claire Robertson
Little People, Big Dreams Series (including but not limited to) - Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali & Rosa Parks
"My Muslim Mate" by Amal Abou-Eid
"Last Stop on Market Street" by Matt de la Pena
This list is by no means exhaustive. If there is a title you believe should be included, please comment below or send me an email and I will continue to update this list. I have linked all books through to the Booktopia Website (where applicable)
This list is by no means exhaustive. If there is a title you believe should be included, please comment below or send me an email and I will continue to update this list. I have linked all books through to the Booktopia Website (where applicable)