These traits make each person's world view and experience in life a little bit different. We each carry our own perspectives and viewpoints based on who we are. In order to empathize with others' viewpoints, we must first hear what their experiences are like. We must be knowledgable on the oppression and prejudice that people of color or the LGBTQ+ community face. When we are more knowledgable, we are more accepting.
One way to become more knowledgable is through literature. As adults, we can choose to search for literature on diverse people, but for children, their access to finding diverse literature is more difficult because they can only access what is provided for them. As an educator, I believe that we must educate the whole child and part of that is to encourage the acceptance of other cultures. One way to do this is by introducing them to cultures through books. Reading high quality, diverse literature and having the options of these types of books in a library will encourage students to see life through someone else's eyes. It can encourage empathy and understanding. Including books with minority characters, like a book about a child with two moms or a book about a Muslim boy in America can make the children who live similar lives feel included in an oftentimes white-washed subject.
Reading and providing diverse children's literature can create a generation of caring individuals.
To find out more about the importance of diverse literature, you can read this article from Newsweek.
