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| Capturing Race |
PEN's Children's/Young Adult Book Authors Committee weighs in on the many forms of racism—be it overt or subtle, deliberate or accidental. Please join the discussion by reading the following essay and posting your comments.
Fatima Shaik: Writing Melitte
In my young adult novel Melitte, I did not let readers know that she
was a slave until the third chapter. I wanted them first to identify
with the soft-spoken, intelligent narrator.
Readers first learn that Melitte is running away with her sister, that
the Chaouachas men are hiding them from the Louisiana Frenchmen, that
the girls are at a crossroad and that they must separate.
Only when the narrator realizes that her skin color portends her status
are readers introduced to the concept of slavery. Then, they enter a
world that adults created where one child can be sold and the other
protected.
I expect young adult readers to feel just as Melitte and her white,
half-sister Marie did. When the Chaouachas aid Melitte’s escape, but
return her sister to their white father, readers feel sad.
So the book is a loss of innocence story with race at its center. [More]
Cheryl Willis Hudson: Bright Eyes, Brown Skin: Talking Openly to Children About Racial Differences
Bright eyes, brown skin
A heart shaped face
A dimpled chin
Bright eyes, cheeks that glow
Chubby fingers, ticklish toes
A playful grin
A perfect nose
Very special hair and clothes
Bright eyes, ears to listen
Lips that kiss you
Teeth that glisten
Bright eyes, brown skin
Warm as toast
And all tucked in.
I
wrote about one half of the words of that poem shortly after our son
Stephan was born. He was a big baby-weighing in at 8 pounds 6 oz. And
he was 21 inches long. He had a nice round head, freckles (that quickly
faded after a few weeks) light brown skin and an infectious lopsided
smile.
Stephan's eyes were bright and hopeful and he jetted into
the world. I immediately felt I knew who Stephan was and to the
amazement of my obstetrician and the midwife on duty, I laughed
heartily out loud on the delivery table when he took in his first
breath. They washed him up, put him on my chest and I remember
thinking, "He's exactly what I expected, a beautiful black baby boy."
But I also said a silent, wordless prayer shortly afterward-a prayer I
believe most African American mothers say knowing the challenges their
male offspring face on their journey from birth to manhood.
[More]
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9 Comments | Add a Comment |
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| 2-27-08 9:40AM: Bill said...
very good article, thank you
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| 8-16-07 5:00PM: E.J. LaGesse said...
Fatima: I look forward to reading this book and sharing it with my circle of half-sisters and brothers, my mixed/half breed relatives, and of course my "bi-racial" children/young adults. With all this talk of multiculturalism, frank conversations about race are still difficult to hold. Issues around skin color are often an unacknowledged common ground across cultures. Thank you for sharing an approach that welcomes many into the conversation.
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| 8-2-07 11:12AM: Fatima said...
Thanks for all the comments. Still, I do wonder whether writers are getting cues from editors or readers that race is passé as a subject due to a "new" multicultural America. Is race just a subject for history books?
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| 8-1-07 3:10PM: ELizabeth Rhodes said...
Fatima,
Thanks for the book and the essay. Any Louisiana native or descendant of people of color has family stories that speak to issues raised in this book. It does not surprise me that teachers in Louisiana have chosen to include this text in the reading curriculum of upper elementary and middle school children. I know of no other book that addresses such sensitive issues in such an age appropriate way.
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| 7-16-07 12:15AM: Kelly Starling Lyons said...
Fatima,
Your book is a gift. Kids may have a tough time understanding the harsh realities of slavery, but they can get the pain of losing a sibling. The sisters in your story separate, but carry the memory of the other. Not even slavery can take that away. What a message. What love.
Your story makes the concept of slavery real to teens by presenting it through a relationship they can understand. They can feel sadness as the sisters have to part and hope that one day they will reunite. It's powerful stuff.
I recently read my forthcoming picture book, One Million Men and Me, at a local readers series. The story explores the Million Man March through the eyes of a girl who was there with her daddy. One of the best compliments I received was from a white woman who said that as I read, she became the girl in my story.
I think that's how we help build understanding -- creating stories that allow children and adults to step into our character's lives. I appreciate your book and will spread the word.
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| 7-10-07 11:07AM: Evelyn Coleman said...
Thank you Fatima for your essay. I truly understand and applaud your recognition that it was important to allow the reader to make an emotional connection before learning that one child must escape "slavery." One of the problems we have to combat is the almost dispassionate response to the institution of "slavery," in this country. In White Socks Only, a book that deals with racism, it was important to me as the writer to make sure the audience felt an emotional connection with the little girl before she encounters the water fountain. At least one reviewer questions the beginning, where the girl walks to town to fry an egg and wonders why I have this seemingly "added" storyline as oppose to just dealing with the water fountain. But I knew that without endearing this girl to the reader, there would be a diluted sympathy for her character. I am always amazed at the profound shift in the audience when the white man approaches the girl. Everyone in the room is terrified for her, and rightly so.
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| 7-9-07 5:59PM: Steven Kroll said...
With the Supreme Court rising in the defense of racism, we need many more novels like MILETTE, many more essays like Fatima's. They will be our hope and the hope of the next generation.
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| 7-9-07 9:48AM: Elizabeth Levy said...
The feelings in this essay or so true and to the point. At a time when so many seem to be saying tht "Tribalism" is built into our species, it is so important to give children another way to see our world.
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| 7-9-07 1:57AM: Fran Manushkin said...
Fatima, thanks so much for this thoughtful essay! The social construction of race and ways to combat it is such a fascinating topic, and one children, especially, while their minds are open, can most respond to! I'd love to hear if you or anyone know of other books for children that successfully explore these ideas. It would be really helpful!
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