WEEK 14 PROMPT
I think that African American Fiction should not be separated for
the reasons mentioned: It promotes segregation and disrupts
serendipitous discovery of an author who might be different from the
reader. Plus, the following from N.K. Jemisin's website makes me
think that it wouldn't be OK with many of the writers of urban
fiction themselves because their books are being marketed to a part
of the population instead of the whole population.
The following is from N.K. Jemisin's website found here
http://nkjemisin.com/2010/05/dont-put-my-book-in-the-african-american-section/
"I understand why this section exists — because the
publishing industry rather notoriously would not publish books by or
about black people
until the 1990s, unless those books were
deemed of sufficient interest to white readers. Prior to the 1990s it
was kind of hard for black readers to find these “accepted” black
writers (outside of Black History Month), because there weren’t
many of them, and because their works were mixed in with the
mainstream. So black readers had to rely on word-of-mouth — which,
pre-internet, was actually kind of limiting. But — and here I
include myself, as someone who’s been a voracious reader since the
age of, like, four — we managed. And most of us, because we were
just like any other reader, also read plenty of non-black writers,
particularly if their works weren’t full of racefail. That’s how
I ended up a science fiction and fantasy fan given that SFF is, shall
we say, not so much on the multicultural content. (At least not in
the case of human beings.) That was okay, though, because many of the
stories were universal enough that I loved them anyway.
We’ll come back to this concept of “universality” in a later
blog post. Got a book to write, today.
It took black authors self-publishing to lucrative success, with
some
rather
famously becoming bestsellers by hand-selling self-pub’d books from
the trunks of their cars, to prove to the industry that yes
Virginia, black people
do read, and what’s more they buy,
and I dunno gee maybe it’s kind of racist to assume otherwise. So
publishers paid attention and started snatching up black writers, and
later black small presses, in an effort to latch on to this “new”
audience. Many of them started heavy-handed marketing campaigns
designed to appeal to the “urban” reader (where “urban”
somehow = “black”) by using arcane language (e.g. “keepin’ it
real!”) and plastering poorly-designed book covers with women who
looked like music video refugees and men who looked like ex-cons. Or
whatever the industry thought ex-cons looked like. And some black
readers were grateful for the attention, after so long a time of
neglect.
And instead of dropping that original racist assumption that black
people didn’t read, the industry gave it an upgrade:
OK, black
people do read, but they don’t read like
the rest of us (read: white people, because
Latinos and Asians and so forth don’t matter). And they don’t
have the same need for well-drawn characters, engaging plots, etc.,
because they’re not very smart or well-read. All we have to do is
give them are plenty of examples of people who look like them and
speak “the vernacular” and deal with “their issues” (which
are not like our issues). Profit! And because the industry
also
assumed that nobody but black people would want to read all this,
y’know,
“black stuff”, they decided to dump it all
onto a single shelf, usually in the back of the store, and stick a
label on it: African American Interest. Which might as well have
read, “Everybody But Black People, Nothin’ to See Here. Move
Along.”
I am ashamed to say that many black publishers and authors were
happy to cater to these assumptions, because there was money to be
made. This has perpetuated the problem. But I digress.
Now, let me be clear: there are some good writers in the AAF
section. It’s not all “baby mama drama”. I’m a fan of Terry
McMillan, who I discovered through this section before she started
getting shelved in mainstream, and some SFF authors have been
cross-marketed here if they’re big enough: L. A. Banks, Octavia
Butler. If you’ve never visited that section of your bookstore or
library, I urge you to do what Reader did, and go take a gander. You
might discover something new and cool.
However.
As a result of this old and new racism, the AAF section of today
is
mostly just a constricted, homogenizing ghetto. Writers
stuck there — those who aren’t big enough to be cross-marketed —
have lower earning potential, because it’s a lot harder to sell
books when they’re marketed to 12% of the population than 100% of
the population. Let’s not talk about how some black authors have
been
forced
into this marketing classification against their will. And then
there’s the problem of content reliability. There is no reason that
anyone should look among the “thug love” books to find Alaya Dawn
Johnson’s lyrical fantasy
Racing the Dark. "
I am a little unsure about LGBTQ books having their own spot. I
thought no because it also promotes segregation and disrupts
serendipitous discovery, plus I thought perhaps some kids might not
want it to be obvious that they are in that section because they
aren't ready for people to know. But, as the article from School
Library Journal below mentions, materials should be available without
kids having to ask for them directly. I think maybe a compromise for
this could be a list of where the books are that is on display (the
list would be on display)? I'm really not sure what would be best in
this case.
The following is from:
http://www.slj.com/2014/05/diversity/lgbtq-you-how-to-support-your-students/#_
"With
82 percent of LGBTQ students reporting verbal harassment, among other
forms of bullying, according to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight
Education Network’s (GLSEN)
2011 School Climate Report, finding a space to feel safe may be
particularly crucial for these students. So is finding materials in
which LGBTQ students can see themselves—resources that reflect the
stories of their lives and the themes that mirror their own questions
and concerns. School librarians provide support through their very
presence as well as through the services they can provide.
Wanting
to make sure materials were available for them—without forcing
students to request them directly—
Butler
focuses in particular on making sure his students have access to
“accurate and age-appropriate sexual health information,” he
says. While he makes sure he has materials available, he also watches
to see which titles are never returned. Books that mention anything
about sex? They often go missing, he says.
“They’re
not just being checked out voraciously. They just disappear off the
shelves,” he says. “The books that are stolen are often the ones
most needed in your collection.”
To
highlight the books he thinks are important, Butler simply puts up
displays on topics about sexual health and education when the Gay
Straight Alliance comes in for their regular meetings. While “hanging
out” near the check-out area afterwards, Butler says, they discover
the titles he has purposefully, but casually, placed there.
“They’re
seniors, so they won’t admit they need the information. But they
do,” he says. “They say they’re going to give the resources to
their classmates. They become information vectors.”"
So,
I would say no about an African American section and I lean towards
no on the LGBTQ books but am not as certain about that.
