Everyone deserves to be able to find themselves in the pages of a book. We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) was founded on this principle in 2014, and in the nine years since its creation, the landscape of children’s publishing has become more inclusive, more diverse, and more aware. In fact, data from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) shows just how much progress has been made since WNDB’s inception. When looking at the statistics the CCBC compiles, the percentages have moved in the right direction: Of 3,500 books received, creators and characters of color in children’s books have gone from about 10% to more than 30%. While these numbers don’t entirely reflect the world we all live in—where minorities make up the majority of all schoolchildren in the United States—the marked increase is heartening.

But it isn’t all good news. As the number of diverse books by diverse creators has increased, there has been an alarming correlating rise in book bans and soft censorship across the United States. PEN America, a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect free speech, reported that in the 2021-2022 school year, they found 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles. It’s a widespread problem: These bans are inflicted across 32 states, affecting 4 million students. And of those banned books, 41% addressed LGBTQ+ themes or protagonists, and 40% featured characters of colors—populations who are also targeted by rising hate speech and violence across the country.

But WNDB is not going to back down. Though there is no simple solution to widespread hate and rising violence, one of the most effective ways to challenge bigoted belief systems is to create and encourage empathy. Here, books can be a powerful tool for positive change. Diverse literature benefits the marginalized and the majority. Children from marginalized identities get to see themselves represented, a life-affirming experience. For communities where there is little diversity, books can provide valuable and illuminating perspectives. All young people must experience diverse literature to gain understanding and build empathy. Inclusive reading allows students and teachers “to share vicariously the emotions and aspirations of those from cultural groups other than their own” (Metcalf-Turner & Smith, 1999).

To further solidify this fight against book bans, We Need Diverse Books recognizes the need for a concerted effort to take meaningful action that will make our world a better, more empathetic, and more accepting place. Because these bans are pervasive and can have a many tentacled effect on the publishing industry: by restricting access, book bans not only impact schoolchildren today who are unable to see diverse characters in a book they pick up their classroom, they can telegraph to the publishing industry through decreased sales that diverse titles don’t sell. It’s a fallacy WNDB has worked for nine years to prove false, and we are not going to stop now.

And so we created our newest initiative, Books Save Lives, to challenge the onslaught of censorship and to champion diverse voices. While considering how WNDB could support efforts to stop censorship and fight book bans, we were careful to ensure that our initiative did not replicate the hard work already being done by activists across the country. To best enact meaningful change, WNDB is in constant conversation with other organizations involved in the efforts to protect free speech. The Books Saves Lives initiative is built around a threefold approach to fighting book bans and soft censorship:

1. The Books Save Lives Grant will allocate up to $10,000 for schools to purchase diverse titles for their libraries and classrooms. We will prioritize grants for schools located in areas impacted by book bans and censorship.
2. Working with the grassroots organizations in battleground states, WNDB will produce educational materials for their on-the-ground efforts, arrange author visits, and support media specialists as they navigate the efforts of groups attempting to ban books. WNDB will produce a guide for educators to help them navigate conversations around banned books.
3. Finally, we will offer support and resources to diverse authors in the form of education, publicity for challenged books, and paid school visits to bolster their income.

WNDB recognizes that book bans and soft censorship are a single piece of a long-term coordinated effort that not only affects students and educators, but authors, publishers, and our country overall. Because WNDB recognizes the power of a diverse book. They make people feel seen. They teach empathy and resilience. They even save lives.

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