Books that celebrate diverse images and stories affirm identity, support development, and teach boys and girls that it is okay to self-express. Through books, young people can visualise success, happiness and health, thus enabling them to provide concrete alternatives to negative stereotypes perpetuated by the mass media.

However, in a research project that is the first of its kind (funded by Arts Council England), the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) asked UK publishers to submit books featuring BAME characters in 2017. Of the 9,115 children’s books published that year, researchers found that only 391 (4%) featured BAME characters. Just 1% had a BAME main character, and a quarter of the books submitted only featured diversity in their background casts. This compares to the 32.1% of schoolchildren of minority ethnic origins in England, identified by the Department of Education last year.

Due to the limited amount of positive reflective literature, counter narratives against racial bias doctrine become difficult to find or rudimentary on the shelves of our high street book shops; also fuelling the pseudoscience that “Black people do not read”.

Here at Black Rooted, we will be taking a group of young people around London to Bookshops, Vendors, Publishing Houses, Book Signings and Author Talks on a monthly basis for the WHOLE of 2020.

The objective is to take 10 young people (age 5-17) to purchase a book each from a book seller. This not only provides a safe space for them to engage in conversations about identity and well-being, but also supports local businesses and encourages young people to engage in in-store shopping, as oppose to online retailers like Amazon.com.

All donations made will go towards:

• Books

• Accessories / Stationery

• Literature Workshops

• Book Signings / Events

To sign a young person up for this project, please send full name and contact details to blackrooted@hotmail.com or contact Darrel Blake on 07377 990 003.