To those of you who attended the CBC Diversity Kick Off, thank you! If you were not able to attend last night’s spectacular event, never fear! Detailed below is what you missed. Even if you were in attendance, please be sure to read below for the 7 steps to becoming a CBC Diversity Partner.

The CBC Diversity Committee

The CBC Diversity Committee is dedicated to increasing the diversity of voices and experiences contributing to children’s literature. We endeavor to encourage diversity of race, gender, geographical origin, sexual orientation, and class among both the creators of and the topics addressed by children’s literature. We strive for a more diverse range of employees working within the industry, of authors and illustrators creating inspiring content, and of characters depicted in children’s literature.

We plan to achieve these goals by taking the following actions:

Recruitment

• Participate in high school and college career fairs
• Visit high school senior level English classes to discuss careers in publishing

Resources

• Maintain an up-to-date blog consisting of industry news, book spotlights, CBC Diversity event information, the personal stories of Committee members, and other ready resources for publishing individuals
• Provide a Goodreads CBC Diversity profile that curates front and backlist books by CBC member publishers in order to raise awareness of the diversity-friendly content already in existence

Keeping The Conversation Going

• Host panel discussions at which different industry arms can communicate the challenges they face in selling and promoting diverse books, and can work together to develop solutions to these problems.
• Hold safe space meetings at which industry employees can discuss the obstacles to diversity that they have encountered within the children’s publishing world

Become a Partner

1. 1. Advocate, be proactive, and show your support by adding our Twibbon to your social networking profiles.
   2. Attend at least on event per year. You may learn something new and benefit from the discussion, enabling you to impart fresh knowledge unto others.
   3. Acquire and share non-traditional avenues in which to promote diverse books with the CBC.
   4. Agents and editors-seek diverse books.
   5. Alert those in sales and marketing to initiate in-house conversations about how to sell and market diverse books.
   6. Aim to expose children in your life to diverse books and invite your publishing colleagues to talk at their schools about the industry and the jobs within it.
   7. Acknowledge the CBC as a resource. Check in regularly on the blog and check in with us at cbcdiversity@cbcbooks.org with your comments, questions, and information you feel should be shared with your colleagues.

Add the CBC Diversity Twibbon to your Twitter and Facebook!

Create Change Right Now

CBC Diversity needs your help! Email ayanna.coleman@cbcbooks.org to commit to at least one of the below action items:

• Be a part of a CBC diversity panel
• Visit a school or job fair
• Be interviewed for the CBC Diversity blog

CBC Executive Director Robin Adelson and ME

Ayanna Coleman speaks about the 7 ways to get on board.

Amy, Andrea Pinkey and Agent Rebecca Sherman from Writers House

Committee Members

Nancy Mercado, (Chair) Executive Editor, Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children’s
Alvina Ling, (Vice-Chair) Editorial Director, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Stacey Barney, Editor, Putnam Books for Young Readers
Antonio Gonzalez, Assoc Marketing Manager, Author Visits, Scholastic
Connie Hsu, Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor, Author A. Levine Books/Scholastic
Daniel Nayeri, Editor, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Caroline Sun, Senior Publicity Manager, Integrated Marketing HarperCollins Children’s Books
Namrata Tripathi, Executive Editor, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster
Stacy Whitman, Editorial Director, Tu Books/Lee & Low Books

The newly formed CBC diversity committee

“The newly formed CBC Diversity Committee is dedicated to increasing the diversity of voices and experiences contributing to children’s literature. The committee is charged with shaping an initiative that will focus on increasing diverse representation within the children’s book publishing industry, comprising those people who work in the industry and those authors and illustrators who create the content as well as the characters and stories they represent. To make a difference, we will focus on recruitment by visiting high schools and colleges, providing resources on the CBC Diversity blog and promoting discourse by hosting panel and roundtable discussions. At the kickoff event we will invite attendees to sign on as partners in this initiative and we will list action steps we expect our partners to take.” (Robin Adelson, CBC executive director)

“I love love love what he did. He’s just something else! Rafael [Lopez]made a video of his reaction to winning a 2012 Pura Belpre Honor.”

Take a look…this is ‘AWEsome’ at its best.

www.samanthavamos.com

“Before You Were Here, Mi Amor”  (Viking) – 2010 WA STATE BOOK AWARD WINNER

“The Cazuela That The Farm Maiden Stirred” (Charlesbridge)

WE ARE THE SHIP  The Story of Negro League Baseball is next on my list from Kadir, who is both the illustrator and author.

Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans Kadir Nelson blackartblog.blackartdepot.com

Here’s how he did it.

Here Am I, Send Me: The Story of Jonathan Daniels from Episcopal Marketplace on Vimeo.