Monday, March 24, 2014

My Response: Where Are People of Color in Children's Books?


Last week the New york Times posted an article entitled: "Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?" Walter Dean Myers, the author shared his experience growing up reading books that he didn't relate to because he was black and most of the books he read were about white kids. It's a very thoughtful article that provokes many questions.

I thought I would share some of my experiences as an illustrator relating to ethnicity in children's books. I grew up in a white suburban neighborhood just north of our nations capital in Maryland. I always identified myself as white even though my grandmother on my mother's side has native indian blood in her ancestry and my mom is suspected of having an african american father. It wasn't until I was in college that my mom felt comfortable sharing that as a child she wasn't able to attend the white schools because she couldn't "pass" - a term meaning you were classified as having a mixed-race heritage.

Even though I have color in my heritage I always identified myself as white. I did identify with the books I was presented with so I really can not relate to what Walter experienced at an early age. I do believe however that the reason we don't see more color in children's books is quite simply that more white children have been privileged to go to college in the past decades. I would think most children's book illustrators are white and illustrate from their own experiences. It's more natural for me to illustrate white children because that's how I grew up and what I'm most familiar with. I would also probably be a last choice for a book about a specifically black family. I don't think it's a coincidence that Kadir Nelson and Don Tate are given these assignments regularly. I know they bring a sensibility to the art that I'm sure neither I nor other white illustrators could match.

At the beginning of my illustration career I was unfamiliar with the various cultural differences when asked to illustrate children and adults of color. This is not to say that I didn't want to include them in my illustrations - just that it felt like I was entering unfamiliar territory. The problem for me wasn't being asked to include asian, hispanic, and african ethnicities in my illustrations - it was what roles to give each character. I continually ran into problems in many of my assignments where one character was perhaps nefarious, laboring, or doing something less heroic. In trying to cast the illustration I knew it would be a problem to give a character of color one of these lesser roles - it would have to be a white person as to avoid offending the art director, editor, and ultimately the readers. But this in itself created a problem - why did my race always have to be the one on the bottom? That didn't feel right either. Keep in mind I write this at the risk of being labeled a racist.

 I once worked on an assignment for a prominent magazine that shall remain nameless. The assignment was to show "teamwork". I was asked to illustrate 4 people lifting boxes and stacking them with a manager directing traffic. Each person had to be a different ethnicity: black, white, hispanic, and asian. My goal was to come up with a pleasing arrangement that communicated "teamwork" while giving each person a good role. I placed a white person handing a box to an asian person handing the boxes to a hispanic person at the top stacking them and a black person pointing and showing where the boxes were to go.

 I had a conference call scheduled with the art director, creative director, editor, and a few other people. When they saw my sketch they began to argue some saying that the black person looked lazy since he wasn't helping lift. I offered that I had purposely put him in a position of management. They resumed their argument that he still looked lazy - some defending my decision and others thinking we needed to make a change. They then suggested that I switch the black person with the asian person so that the black person wouldn't look lazy.

 Now you can hate me for this next part but if you know me you know I'm a kidder and that I like to stir things up a bit. So knowing exactly what I was doing I decided to have a little fun with their new solution. I said, "Ok, but won't this new set up look like the asian is smarter than everyone and that the black person is just a laborer? I wish I could have recorded the rest of the turmoil - entertaining to say the least. They finally went with my original sketch.



The truth in my opinion is that when you try to make things fair in this way you end up far from fair. It's not any fairer to put the white guy on the bottom as it is to put the black guy on the bottom. The truth is that in some stories you have children in situations that put some in a better light than others. If you try to cherry pick the races to avoid offending certain groups you'll just offend another group.

For many stories that are NOT specific to ethnicity you can simply substitute animal characters. Animals are void of race and gender depending on how you draw them. It makes life so much easier and you can create characters and meaningful stories that children can relate to without the burden of race and gender.  I do understand however that some stories might be specific to historical, racial, gender and other specific details that can't be replaced with animal characters.

This is the reason that my story apps have animal characters - I don't have to play the race game. I'm sure there will be certain groups of animals that will have a bone to pick with me someday but I'll take my chances.

A pull out from Walter's article states: "Too often today's books are blind to the reality of thousands of children." I disagree with this assessment. I see it as a reflection of the number of illustrators who like authors, feel compelled (and are taught) to illustrate from experience. I suppose we could also venture into the breakdown of the numbers of white/black/asian/hispanic buyers of children's books as well - which I would suspect mainly come from white America.

The publishing world is fueled by the dollar. The analysts at the large publishing houses know their markets inside and out and are constantly second guessing every decision based on money. So I would suspect that another reason we don't see more ethnic childrens books is because they don't think they can sell as many of them as they can books with white child characters.

I appreciate the problem Walter experienced but I don't agree that publishing is blind to ethnicity - Lee & Low books have targeted this market focusing on diversity. I'm sure that if they grow disproportionately the other publishers will follow suit.

I'd love to know what you think...

23 comments:

  1. Our world has changed so quickly - when I was little (in Holland where I grew up) in schools and on the streets you would only see white persons. If anyone had so much of a little difference in color some children thought they were looking funny. As you say, all fairy-tales and bed-time stories were about white people, not only the heroes but also the witches, sorcerers, mean giants and trolls.
    The present is a totally different reality, especially where I live in Holland. Having red hair has become much rarer than being black or brown so maybe those are the children being gnifled at nowadays.
    Grimm, Mother Goose and Hans Christian Andersen already belong to the past giving way to newer and more 'colorful' stories.

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  2. I did an assignment last year in which I was asked to not illustrate "overtly white" characters in my submissions. It was an interesting challenge.

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    1. I used to find it interesting but the further I go I try to avoid it so I can get on with telling the story. But again - this is only because I'm not asked to illustrate specific stories dealing with race.

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  3. I agree with you. I think that the reason for the lack of diversity in children's books is simply due to the lack of diversity in the people writing and illustrating them. This is starting to change, though. I've seen a dramatic increase in the number of children's books with diverse characters. Both picture books and middle grade books. They are books that are not about social issues or specific cultures, but books where anyone could be the main character and the author or illustrator cast them as a race other than white.

    Personally, I'm glad of that. I want my kids to grow up seeing what a beautiful, colorful world we live in.

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    1. Very well said! My parents taught me to love and respect people of all colors - I'm doing the same with my boys. The world is much more enjoyable when we seek to include.

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  4. I am all for showing diversity if it makes sense and is integral to the story. Other than that, I think it's just senseless art direction for the sake of being PC. I cringe (and usually run away) when I get a project brief that says "include 2 white kids, an Asian, an African American, one Hispanic and at least one kid in a wheelchair. I just know it's going to be a nightmare!

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    1. Yep - it's a sign that things probably won't go smoothly...

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  5. Great article Will! I just started illustrating my first book last week and I was planning on illustrating a younger version of myself. ( A little white kid) Then the Author reminded me that there is a need for more diverse children's books and requested that the character have a little bit of color. It was a great experience designing a new character. I just hope it pleases more people than offends. Can't wait to see what happens.

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  6. Great post as usual. I do love your work and what you do. You are right about audience. Not many people in my culture read or buy books in general. This is the main reasons I do what I do and trying my best to get better at writing and illustrating. I want more people to see that we don't have to take in what's given to us; we can make our own path. We have a beautiful culture and we should share it with the world. I know that books of ethnicity don't do well, but I think mainly because it wasn't written well. A lot of the books I've read that is about ethnicity, wasn't entertaining at all. They focus too much on the culture and trying to please too many audiences. When you try to please everyone, your story becomes flat. I hope I get better soon and create more books people with my background can enjoy and relate to.

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    1. That's awesome Nor - I think you're right - when the story is good it doesn't matter what race the family or characters are...I just finished watching 12 years a slave - wow - so powerful - one of the best and hardest movies to watch - these ethnically specific stories need to be told!

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  7. I am all for showing complete diversity among characters -- and only using all-white casts when it's integral to the story. (Like, if it's about racism)
    Seriously, in this day and age, illustrators still have a problem with art directors telling them to add diversity to their characters?
    I learned in college (Michigan State University) that, unlike in my all-white hometown, races can intermingle and be friends (lovers, even) and that all races deserve to be represented in my art. My boss told me to include all kinds of people -- and I'm so glad he was so forward thinking, 30 years ago.
    I think the reason there aren't more Asian, Black, Mexican, Native American, Muslim, etc., characters in books is because the white creators don't think to put them in, and their white art directors and editors don't insist on it.
    Let's not leave black characters (or mixed race families or characters) to just our black illustrator friends. Let's all help all kids see themselves in our work.

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  8. I agree that using animals as characters is a good idea. Aesop used animals for his fables as a way to make his stories universal. But I also agree that diversity in books in a good thing, both with regard to spreading knowledge of other cultures and also to show readers that regardless of skin color or ethnicity, we're all human beings. No matter what background we come from, pushing ourselves and growing beyond our "limits" is how we define and redefine greatness. Let's change the world one book, one image, at a time :)

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    1. I think a good mix is important but I think that it can be a distraction for some stories to use a diverse mix of race just like it would be a mistake not to go that route for some stories. Not all stories should have a mix of race involved and not all stories should only use animals.

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  9. I like this subject because it’s something I’ve thought about a lot. I’m a very new illustrator and I’m just starting to pick up small assignments here and there. I’m African America and notice that I only get calls from those who are looking for someone to illustrate social matters for people of color. It’s exciting that I’m getting calls but, a little disappointing that the calls aren’t for broader subject matters. Don’t get me wrong, I think books about the history of social injustice, loving the color of your skin and learning about important people of color are very very important. I just don’t want that to be my entire Illustration resume. I agree that the lack of diverse characters is due to the lack of diverse authors/illustrators. I want to illustrate fantasy, whimsical, spooky, funny stories. Give me the next Harry Potter story to illustrate! Not enough people of color are writing these types of books. Then there’s the question: If I get a call from an author wanting me to illustrate a Harry Potter type book, will they mind if I draw the main character as a person of color? After all, that is what comes naturally to me. Maybe there should be more diversity in what people want to see depicted in illustrations no matter what the color of the author or illustrator happens to be. This is a deep subject and could go on forever. Good Talk!

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    1. Thank you for this Tamisha! Wow - I never thought about it this way - I wonder if other minorities get these kinds of requests more often that white illustrators? I've never been asked to illustrate a historical story based on an ethnic character, family, etc...and why would I? If I were an art director I would probably to to the race the story is about too...but that doesn't mean that people of that particular race want to illustrate a lot of those stories - great point.

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  10. I agree with your take on this. As an artist I was taught as a general principle while a student - "Go for what you know." Not as any kind of discrimination but just, as you alluded to, working from one's own experience. In my recent book, I made a conscious decision to draw kids of races other than my own. I'd hate to have it be a requirement that I do so but I, as you, have taught my kids to be inclusive and just think it's a way of doing my little part. Hackneyed as it is - We're all in this together...

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  11. Hey Will, thanks for another good article. I agree that we tend to depict what we are familiar with. There was an assignment you gave us to illustrate Little Miss Muffet, and I subconsciously made her polynesian, matching my own ethnicity. I never thought about it until now, but it makes sense :)

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  12. I'm 18 and draw and stuff, for me, it's hard to draw "non-white" people without the fear that has been placed in media that I will over exaggerate a facial feature and be called a racist. I don't feel as free to draw other races, I've tried to draw "black" people they looked fine but the caution I had to do I wouldn't have felt with drawing white. I don't think the problem is so much we don't like other races I think we're too scared to be called a "stereo-typer" or a racist for trying. Like the common saying "You're white you can't understand". I'd love to draw other races, but I mainly draw white because it's what I know and I don't have to fear being targeted in the process. - I think in the process of doing what's right we've also become too thin skinned. Illustrations like in Loony Tunes would be banned today. I've found some of them on Youtube and people of other races who it's teasing find it funny! - I'm kinda rambling now sorry about that. xD

    Great article! Thanks!

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    1. You actually captured many of my feelings that I didn't put down in this post! RIGHT ON! It's been a fear of mine too. I've never wanted to be accused of over exaggerating which is what I often do with my characters - good point!

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  13. Will, As a multicultural artist (I'm mixed with African American, Filipino and American Indian) and having been lucky enough to grow up in a very diverse community of people, I wouldn't have an issue with drawing multi racial characters because IT IS WHAT I KNOW and I'm comfortable creating these characters. I think the issue is MORE DIVERSE ETHNICITIES will be represented when more diverse authors and illustrators are published! After working on The Rugrats for years, I thought it was funny that I was the character designer who was assigned to draw the black characters. Well, I didn't mind that at all since I was comfortable with it. Thanks for your post. I enjoy your work.

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