The writers of this Blog have made an attempt to define and expose white privilege in children’s literature and provided examples of what it looks like in the books children read. Based on the review of existing essays and other literature on the topic of white privilege, it has been determined that the gatekeepers in the children’s book industry, the publishers, are and have been mainly responsible for the lack of diversity and inclusion as well as misrepresentation of non-white ethnicities since the beginning of picture book publication in the mid nineteenth century. White privilege has gifted the White dominant book industry and the many esteemed White authors who cater to the White audience at the expense of people of color. Over the years, these so-designated ‘others’ have been rendered non-existent, misrepresented, and marginalized as audience.
Examples of white privilege in this Blog range from a 1938 book demeaning to Chinese Americans to a contemporary guide for girls on braiding hair that excludes African American girls. Because we live in a diverse nation, an attempt was made to define the difference between diversity and inclusion in children’s literature. All children, but especially White children, need diversity in their reading materials. Providing children with diverse reading materials will help bring awareness to the white privilege anomaly and allow them to reach adulthood as equals among men and to be empathetic, accepting, and tolerant of one another.
Awareness to the white privilege issue begins by “listening to [the] multiple perspectives and voices of marginalized people” (Swalwell, 2013). Those responsible for the acquisition of children’s materials can encourage diversity in authors and illustrators by demanding more of them from the publishers. Children need literature as diverse as their communities. They need to be able to look into the ‘mirror’ as well as to look ‘out their windows.’ Children should have a wide array of correct ethnic representation in stories to choose from. No child should feel excluded from the society in which they live because they are excluded from the literature made available to them. Perhaps when the publishing industry, at long last, recognizes its white privilege, then white privilege in children’s literature will become a thing of the past.
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