Step 1: I have to admit I hadn't given much thought at all to the validity of the Coretta Scott King or Pura Belpre Awards (awards for children's literature give to African American and Latino authors, respectively). I remember reading some books that were selections for the Coretta Scott King award when I was younger, but I had not even heard of the Pura Belpre award. Needless to say, my opinion was not very firm, but it seems to me that these awards are a good thing. They expose an often ignored group of authors to a wider audience, and are offered an amount of recognition that they would not have received otherwise. I think it is a little bit unfortunate, but we need these kind of awards in order to make sure that we recognize minorities, as most of the people choosing books in libraries and schools are not minorities (by race). This is a very easy and rewarding avenue to encourage librarians and teachers to expose their students to multicultural literature, and that is a good thing.
Marc Aronson has totally changed my view, and I have read the rebuttal, and then his subsequent response, and I have to say that he makes a really good point. But like, Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston's disagreements over the use of the vernacular, this is a touchy subject, and the argument has many well thought out and often emotional sides. However, I still think Aronson is right in saying that by restricting the race of the author, it kind of diminishes the quality of the award and also the quality of other awards. Is the Newberry or Caldecott an award for European American authors only? Because it seems that it would cause the judges to lean that way given that there is no specific European American award, and a majority of the books are being written by authors of that ethnic background. But that's a huge problem because it assumes that best European American author is the same as best American author, and further ostracizes the minority ethnic groups. I also really believe in his logic argument that creating one ethnicity based award means you must create an award for every ethnicity, and it also exposes huge problems like his example of the Belpre actually excluding Brazilian-American writers. I understand that the Coretta Scott King award does wonders for exposing those of us who are typically insulated from multicultural writing, but the requirement regarding only the author's race is misguided. It should be based on the subject matter. One would think that an African-American author will most likely write the best book on the African-American experience during any given year, but there should be an opportunity for white, Hispanic, or multiracial authors to win the same award if they represent that experience in a more compelling way. And to Ms. Pinkney's point that the King award allows parents of minorities to identify books by minority authors, I would argue that having the seal identify books about the minority experience is just as valuable. In my opinion, reading is a meaning making experience, and we want kids to be interacting and making meaning based on the merits of the book. And by merits, I do not mean the morality of the characters, or the life lessons inside. To me literature is effective and transcendent when its characters are three dimensional. If you can read a book and know its characters, their motivations, their hopes, dreams, and failings, then it is the most effective kind of literature. And I think that the Coretta Scott King commission could recognize these kind of books about the African-American experience without having a race requirement of the author.
That requirement is perpetuating the marginalization of minority authors. I think if they removed the author race requirement, we could more easily discuss Newberry and Caldecott as a best in show award, as opposed to their current pseudo statuses as best book not by a minority author. I also realize that this is a very controversial viewpoint, and I know that I am not as articulate or as intelligent as Mark Aronson, so I would encourage anyone reading this to make sure to read his article, Slippery Slope and Proliferating Prizes.
I think it's interesting how you compared this debate to Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston's disagreements over the use of the vernacular. I agree that this is an equally touchy subject, with both sides arguing what they think is best for the marginalized minority. You articulated Aronson's position clearly, and I think your point about the Newberry or Caldecott as an award for European American authors only was interesting. Thanks for an interesting post!
ReplyDeleteWanted to share this interesting example of content versus identity for awards, Will.
ReplyDeleteI originally shared this with Kendra so I'm lifting it from her blog:
Got another question for you. A tough one. Take a look at the awards that Phillip Hoose’s Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice won –http://www.philliphoose.com/books.html One is conspicuously missing. Be sure and watch the video. Is this story important enough for those who depend on the Coretta Scott King Award for quality African American literature recommendations to learn about? Is it not vital that we “not lose the story of her courage?” I said it was tough. I certainly don’t have an answer.
Thanks for sharing! I think this is the perfect example of how the racial requirement of the author really is the thing that hurts the Coretta Scott King award. The book appears to be a great artifact of African-American culture, and I think that's what should prevail. The culture portrayed by the work, not the label applied to the author. I was also thinking, besides multiracial authors who present a problem for the award, what about authors who were adopted? If a white child grew up in an African-American home, isn't his experience valid, and most of all, an experience we want to read about. I feel a little silly for being so bowled over by an essay, but Aronson really pointed something out that should cause concern. And, I think it should be noted that he subtly mentions that he is the father of a biracial child, so perhaps he is thinking about how his child will be labeled as an author. And that should be a concern, because the more multiracial students and children we have in our classrooms, the more labeling becomes an issue.
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