Exploring a history of activists writing for and about children of colour from abolition to Black Lives Matter, this open access book examines issues such as the space given to people of colour by white activists; the voice, agency and intersectionality in activist writing for young people; how writers used activism to expand definitions of Britishness for child readers; and how activism and writing about it has changed in the 21st century.
From abolitionists and anti-colonialists such as Amelia Opie, Una Marson and Rabindranath Tagore; communist and feminist activists concerned with broader children’s rights including Chris Searle and Rosemary Stones; to Black Panthers and contemporary advocates for people of colour from Farrukh Dhondy to Len Garrison, Catherine Johnson and Corinne Fowler, Karen Sands-O'Connor traces how these activists translated their values for children of colour. Beginning with historical events that sparked activism and the first cultural products for children and continuing to contemporary activism in the wake of the Windrush Scandal, this book analyses the choices, struggles and successes of writers of activist literature as they tried to change Britain and British literature to make it a welcoming place for all child readers. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollection.com. Open access was funded by Knowledge Unlatched.
IntroductionGet Up, Stand Up—Then Sit Down and Read: Books, and Rights, for Readers of Colour Chapter OneEmpire and Activism: A Pre-Windrush History of Activist British Children’s Authors and Race Chapter TwoBlack, White, Unite and Fight? Children’s Books and Activism across Racial Lines Chapter ThreeTo be Young, British and Black: Writing for a New Generation of British Readers Chapter Four“Good” Britishness: Black Identity, White Racism and Children’s Publishing 1965-1995 Chapter FiveHostile Environments for History and Publishing: Activists Addressing Children of Colour 2012-2021 Bibliography Index
Karen Sands-O’Connor is British Academy Global Professor at Newcastle University, UK, where she previously held a Leverhulme Visiting Professorship. Her previous monographs, Soon Come Home to This Island: West Indians in British Children’s Literature (2008) and Children’s Publishing and Black Britain (2017), examine inclusive literature in the British context.
Reviews for British Activist Authors Addressing Children of Colour
Karen Sands-O’Connor’s British Activist Authors Addressing Children of Colour brilliantly explores the history of activist writing for children of colour in Britain, the historical context in which this writing appeared as well as the impact activist writing had and continues to have on its readers. The illuminating book provides deep insights into the agendas and politics of activist writing about and for children of colour, and most importantly, encourages readers to rethink dominant white perspectives in children‘s literature and its publishing industry. This thought-provoking and engaging study is an important contribution to understand literary activism for children in Great Britain, recommended for specialists and non-specialists alike. * Ada Bieber, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany *
