Weeding Out Racism’s Invisible Roots: Rethinking Children’s Classics ▬ SLJ

Weeding Out Racism’s Invisible Roots: Rethinking Children’s Classics | Opinion

SLJ: 6.19.2020 by Padma Venkatraman

@MCChildsBookDay

Lately, I’ve heard from several parents, educators, and librarians who want to prevent white children from imbibing prejudice. When I suggest that one simple step we can take is to proactively encourage young people to read diverse books, there’s agreement. When I suggest another equally easy step is to stop supporting racist classics, I meet resistance.  

Immense and complex problems face us as a nation today—and I’m not trying to trivialize them. Changing the stories we read (or don’t read) won’t change society overnight, but I do believe it will help curb insidious biases from perpetuating in future generations. If we’re serious about preventing children from growing into adults who indulge in exclusionary behavior or ignore supremacist institutions and traditions, we must take small steps that are within our control, while demanding larger changes.

Powerful books can transport us to different places and times and also transplant us, temporarily, into a character’s body. Protagonists haunt us, move us, and sometimes spur us to act by sowing empathy and respect for diversity.

Conversely, exposing young people to stories in which racism, sexism, ableism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hate are the norm may sow seeds of bias that can grow into indifference or prejudice.

Racism in classics [ SLJ: 5.28.2020 by Marva Hinton ] can’t be negated merely by alerting young readers to its presence. Unless we have the time, energy, attention, expertise, and ability to foster nuanced conversations in which even the shyest readers feel empowered to engage if they choose, we may hurt, not help. Pressuring readers of color to speak up also removes free choice and can be harmful.  READ MORE ➤➤

Anti Racist and Social Justice Reading Lists,

A Collection of Resources

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

Missouri Woman Asked Merriam-Webster To Update Its Definition Of Racism :: Will Make The Change via CNN

racism

A Missouri Woman Asked Merriam-Webster To Update Its Definition Of Racism And Now Officials Will Make The Change

CNN: 6.12.2020 by David Williams

Kennedy Mitchum wasn't expecting much when she emailed Merriam-Webster last month, but she wanted to let the dictionary publisher know that she thought its definition of the word racism was inadequate.

So she was surprised when an editor responded and even more surprised that the company agreed to update the entry.

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Mitchum has gotten into a lot conversations about racism and injustice where people have pointed to the dictionary to prove that they're not racist. It's happened a lot more lately as the world reacts to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers.

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"I kept having to tell them that definition is not representative of what is actually happening in the world," she told CNN. "The way that racism occurs in real life is not just prejudice it's the systemic racism that is happening for a lot of black Americans."

Merriam-Webster's first definition of racism is

"a belief that race is the primary determinant

of human traits and capacities and that racial differences

produce an inherent superiority of a particular race."

After a few emails, Chambers agreed that the entry should be updated and said a new definition is being drafted.

Peter Sokolowski, an editor at large at Merriam-Webster, told CNN that their entry also defines racism as

"a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism

and designed to execute its principles"

and "a political or social system founded on racism,"

which would cover systematic racism and oppression.  WATCH 01:00

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)