What We Talk About When We Talk About Diversity in YA and MG: A Call to Action

There’s been a lot of talk about the lack of diversity in publishing lately, and I don’t mean just YA and MG. This is an ongoing discussion in (adult) literary fiction circles, too. 

  

It’s almost 2013. Why are we still talking about this?

Well, there’s this:

On Dec. 4^th, The New York Times published this article about Latino children who fail to find characters like themselves in books.

And there’s this:

“Racist Party Picture Lands Penn State Chi Omega in Hot Water.”

What is the relationship between these two? Well, that’s a good question. (I’m interested in hearing your responses in the comments.)

But when we talk about the lack of diversity in YA and MG, we’re not just talking about the lack of main characters who are people of color. We’re also talking about characters that identify as LGBTQ, who have disabilities, who come from bilingual or multilingual families or communities, and from various faiths or religions.  

There’s been a lot of talk about book covers and the whitewashing of the publishing industry and privilege and educational inequality. But for readers and writers who are underrepresented, talking about it is not enough. Something needs to change.

So what can we do?

For starters, you can make it your mission to read widely and diversely. You can recommend these books to readers. You can put these books in readers’ hands. You can ask for these books at your local library or independent book store or wherever you buy books. You can review these books and blog about them. You can write these books. You can publish these books.

Also, here’s a starting point: back in August, Roxane Gay, one of my favorite writers (who is also a fantastic essayist, cultural critic, blogger, and superwoman) compiled this list.

Now, here’s where you come in. I want to compile a list for YAtopia—a diverse YA and MG list for readers of underrepresented groups. So let’s get started. What are your recommendations?