This post by Michelle Coles originally appeared on We Need Diverse Books in November 2021. Black Was the Ink is available wherever books are sold!
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Tag Archives: politics
9 Books to Encourage Civic Engagement
Election day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Do you have a plan to vote? Are you sharing information about the election process and citizenship with young readers in your life? One great way to discuss the importance of civic engagement is through books! Through books, readers can meet real-life activists like Stacey Abrams and Harvey Milk, as well as imagined characters such as Nibi, a young Indigenous water activist, or Aaliyah, a young Muslim girl fighting back against Islamophobia—all of which will inspire the next generation of voters!
Continue readingDiversity 102: The Library of Congress Battle Over “Illegal Alien”
Over the past several months, a quiet battle has been raging among librarians and politicians over the term “illegal alien.” For many years, immigrant rights activists have argued against using the term, which has taken on a decidedly pejorative meaning. Activists and legal experts note that while actions can be “illegal,” human beings cannot – to refer to them as such criminalizes existence itself.
While several news outlets have pledged to cease using the term “illegal alien,” there’s one place where the term still stands: the Library of Congress. But while subject headings don’t usually claim a lot of media attention or political interest, the Library of Congress has become a battleground for those who want to replace the term, and for those who won’t give it up. Here’s a timeline of the issue (for more detail, check out this excellent Library Journal piece): Continue reading
Where’s the Diversity? 5 Reasons Why the US Government Isn’t More Diverse
In our previous diversity studies on the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the children’s book field, The New York Times Top 10 Bestseller List, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films, the Tony Awards, and Silicon Valley we interviewed people who actively work in television, publishing, and the theater. We attempted to duplicate this approach for our diversity study on US politics, but with the government shutdown, none of the twelve Congresspeople we contacted responded to our efforts to reach out to them. However, we think the numbers speak for themselves: Continue reading
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Equality . . . For All
Throughout the history of the United States, equality for all people has been fought for and won time and time again. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of 
Independence ”that all men are created equal,” and over time equal rights have been gradually extended to different groups of people. However, equality has never been achieved without heated debate, despite our country’s founding principle that all people are created equal in the first place.
The language used to seek equality has remained familiar over time. Posters demanding equal rights (pictured) contain messages we have all seen or heard. One of my theories is that since the human life span is finite, the message of equality has to be relearned by each generation as it comes to realize that more work needs to be done.
If humans lived longer, would full equality across racial and gender lines have been acquired by now? Ask yourself: Would women suffragists from the 1920s, who so 
vehemently demanded the right to vote, think it was fine for African Americans to be denied this same right? It depends. My theory also includes the caveat that empathy for others does not always translate into citizens banding together for the greater good. Then again, the social evolution of the United States is progressing. This progression is the reason the language and message of equality remains relevant.