Diversity & Inclusion
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September 02, 2024
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September 02, 2024
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April 18, 2022
Below is a blog post originally posted on HiMama, written by Barefoot Book’s Director of Global Citizenship, Dr. Paula Laurel Jackson. She walks educators through the HEART method of empowering dual language students in the classroom.
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June 14, 2021
At Barefoot Books, it is our absolute priority to make sure our contributors, audiences and team members feel safe and respected.
Following the example of the esteemed publishing industry influencer We Need Diverse Books, Barefoot Books will no longer use the term #OwnVoices as a descriptor for children’s books or their creators, and will be replacing the term with specific descriptors in our marketing materials wherever possible.
To quote the WNDB blog post on this decision:
“#OwnVoices was created as a hashtag by author Corinne Duyvis in September 2015. It was originally intended as a shorthand book recommendation tool in a Twitter thread, for readers
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May 24, 2021
Does your home or classroom library reflect the diversity of our world?
Children internalize messages about themselves and others from a very young age. Their brains are wired to categorize things somewhat rigidly, which can often result in misconceptions. (“Only boys can be firefighters!”) Diverse and inclusive books encourage both positive self-image and acceptance of differences in others. But how can you know if the books you choose are really sending the right messages?
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October 19, 2020
When I was a child, beauty was white or white-proximate.
Positive representation of Black people in the media was so rare that when we came across it, we ran to it like lost souls in a desert run to an oasis. Of course, we had Jet, Essence and Ebony, the triumvirate of Black mass media for decades. But there is something about stories. Whether they are told on a screen or in books, stories convey a society’s sense of itself—what is acceptable and unacceptable, real and impossible, normal and aberrant. What was and is still missing from children’s literature are depictions of children of as radically normal.
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September 28, 2020
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June 08, 2020
Hello, parents, teachers and caregivers,
According to research, kids begin to develop racial bias during infancy. That's why we need to initiate conversations with our children that actively teach them to embrace diversity and inclusion.
Not sure where to start? Sign up below, and we'll share tools and tips to help your child learn to value and respect people of all cultures, beliefs, abilities and lifestyles. We'll also guide you to stories that show the vast range of people in our world — and everything we have in common.
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June 05, 2020
At Barefoot Books, we stand for justice for Black people everywhere.
We abhor the recent murder of George Floyd. We not only grieve his life – we also grieve the fact that this is an experience common to Black Americans and Black people all over the world.
Our mission is to open children’s hearts, minds and worlds. An essential part of this is helping adults raise anti-racist children. Talking explicitly about issues like culture, race, religion, abilities and sexual orientation is crucial – for children and adults alike.
