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One thing I don& #39;t talk about often is how many Black immigrant girls (who generally come from religious homes) will be forbidden from reading RAYBEARER because it has a magic system in it, just like I was growing up.
It saddens me to think about, b/c those girls are essentially who I wrote RAYBEARER for. I& #39;m still a practicing Christian, so I understand the parental concerns . But fantasy is a genre that can empower and cherish Black girls in ways they never, *ever* are in the real world.
Fantasy allows for worlds with new rules. Rules that don& #39;t limit Black girls by colorism, misogyny, or sexist fundamentalism.
I& #39;ve *already* encountered Black girls who beam when they see the RAYBEARER cover, only to shrink back, knowing their parents wouldn& #39;t approve.
I& #39;ve *already* encountered Black girls who beam when they see the RAYBEARER cover, only to shrink back, knowing their parents wouldn& #39;t approve.
It makes my heart bleed, but...I was them once.Maybe they& #39;ll sneak books under blankets and in library corners, like I once did.
I& #39;m not knocking religions of any stripe.
I just want Black girls to see themselves reflected on every sparkling, crystalline surface possible.
I& #39;m not knocking religions of any stripe.
I just want Black girls to see themselves reflected on every sparkling, crystalline surface possible.
And whatever your beliefs about magic are, serious or otherwise...
It& #39;s not fair to take those reflections from Black girls.
It isn& #39;t fair, it isn& #39;t right. It just isn& #39;t.
It& #39;s not fair to take those reflections from Black girls.
It isn& #39;t fair, it isn& #39;t right. It just isn& #39;t.
I recognize that parental fears come from a place of genuine protection. But even if you believe witchcraft is a real, threatening force--parents, look around. Your daughters are not dying in droves from witchcraft.
They are dying from a world that hates the color of their skin.
They are dying from a world that hates the color of their skin.
They are dying from a world that twists them into knots, making them desperate to attain the love of those who neglect, abuse, & subjugate them.
They are dying from being told they will never be the heroine--the treasure worth fighting for.
You are afraid of the wrong thing.
They are dying from being told they will never be the heroine--the treasure worth fighting for.
You are afraid of the wrong thing.
