Falling Out Of Fashion

There was a study done at Brigham Young University that found that there have been fewer Black and Hispanic protagonists in Newbery winning books since 1980 than there were in Newbery winners from 1951 to 1979. As an African American Children's Librarian, I see books featuring African American protagonists getting Newbery Honors (basically a runner-up position), but not winning the award, not since 2000's Bud, Not Buddy (a wonderful book that thoroughly deserved to win the Newbery, and actually appeals to kids and librarians, unlike some Newbery choices) -- and I don't see a whole lot of books featuring Latino protagonists even getting the Newbery Honor -- correct me if I am wrong - it's very possible with my brain addled by maternity leave and lack of sleep.

I remember growing up in the 70's and my mother bringing all sorts of wonderful books home, by Eloise Greenfield, John Steptoe, Leo and Diane Dillon, and later, in the 80's, Mildred Taylor, Walter Dean Myers, and Virginia Hamilton. By the time I started working at a library as a page in the mid 80's, those books almost seemed like nostalgia. What I mean by that is there just didn't seem to be a whole lot of newer books about Black kids coming out at that time -- or maybe the library where I worked just wasn't buying them -- or maybe I just wasn't reading them.

I wonder if it is because there were most likely more books about Black protagonists in the 70's -- it seems like it was almost like an awakening on the part of the publishing industry - that Blacks were writing books and a viable group to market books and shows to (kind of what I see with Latinos nowadays -- can anyone say DragonTales, Dora the Explorer, or Go Diego! and yet, like I said, I can't think of a book with a Latino protagonist that has won the Newbery or a Newbury Honor). It was also the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement and I'm sure that publishers were eager to show they were current. Is it that we aren't seen as needing these books as much since we've "made it"? (Yeah, right.) Or is it because there are the Pura Belpre and Coretta Scott King awards for Latino and Black authors and illustrators? (By the way, is there an award for great Asian American children's fiction? If so, I've never heard of it.) There was an uproar a few years ago with someone saying that we didn't need awards like the CSK anymore -- which, if African American and Latino writers are being recognized for their work less now than from 1951 to 1979, is complete bunk.