Literary controversy has been making headlines in Tennessee lately. In recent weeks, various books have been burned in Mt. Juliet by pro-Trump pastor Greg Locke and removed from the curriculum in McMinn County, with both stories unfortunately bringing national attention to the state. But here in Davidson County, there’s a book-related project we can be proud of — a project that aims to put more books with Black characters in the hands of young readers.
Meredith McKinney started the Black Book Project last year, noting that children of color often don’t see themselves represented in the books they read. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center, around 12 percent of children’s books are about Black characters, and that number drops further when it comes to other people of color.
McKinney works for Metro Nashville Public Schools as a program specialist with Community Achieves. She also serves as a board member and volunteer with Book’em, a local nonprofit that distributes books to kids in Nashville. She noticed that, in the thousands of books Book’em has distributed over the years, many of the characters didn’t represent the children the nonprofit serves — who, says McKinney, are mostly Black, economically disadvantaged students whose families are often unable to afford many books.
“We really have some work to do around making sure that children are able to see themselves in literature,” says McKinney.
When she started the Black Book Project last year, McKinney set a goal to collect 500 books in honor of Black History Month. She received 1,386. For this year’s Black History Month, she is hoping to collect and distribute 2,000 books in partnership with Book’em.
“I recognize that there is a [deficit] when it comes to African American students, particularly in the area of literacy, so really trying to make reading enjoyable and relatable to them is something that I’m really passionate about,” she says. “Because just looking at pictures of little girls with hair that looks like mine, looking at little girls with skin that looks like mine, it’s very, very, rewarding. … I want children to be able to experience that.”
McKinney says that when she was a child, finding books with characters who looked like her “wasn’t a thing.” Now there are many more options, though there is still a long way to go when it comes to equitable representation in children’s literature. McKinney shares some of her favorites with the Scene, including Derrick Barnes’ I Am Every Good Thing, Useni Eugene Perkins’ Hey Black Child and Natasha Anastasia Tarpley’s I Love My Hair. She’s even writing a children’s book of her own about historically Black colleges and universities.
The recent push to remove books from curricula and even burn them in Tennessee — not to mention recent laws limiting race-related conversations in classrooms — isn’t lost on McKinney either. “It’s fueled my fire to the fullest,” she says.
“I want children to feel free and feel good about what they read,” she says. “I feel like children should have free rein and free autonomy over literature, and it’s very discouraging to hear and see those things happening, but I think at the same time … it puts us in a position where we have to step in and fill that gap for our children.”
It should be noted that here in Nashville, no books have been removed from the district’s curriculum.
Those looking to donate new or gently used books to the Black Book Project can send or drop them off to Book’em at 161 Rains Ave., 37203, care of Meredith McKinney. The project also has an Amazon Wish List that sends books right to Book’em. While the project’s main drive takes place in February, McKinney accepts books for the project year round, and its Facebook page hosts Black author spotlights.
“I think all children should be able to receive something that represents a piece of them,” says McKinney.
