Explorations of Black Girlhood

About This Event

Join the director of the National Center for Children’s Literature, Dr. Lashon Daley, for a talk about representations of Black girlhood in children’s literature.

In this talk, Daley pinpoints how African American female middle-grade and young adult authors depict Black girls as vital figures within the Black Lives Matter movement. Fielding a range of examples that includes The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson, Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Color Me In by Natasha Díaz, A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, and I Rise by Marie Arnold, Daley explores this new genre of children’s literature that she has termed BLM protest literature. Daley's talk sparks an important conversation about how Black girls are characterized as symbols of Black rage, resistance, and rebellion in the contemporary movement for Black civil rights.

Come to view the Girlhood (It’s complicated) exhibit, then stay for the program! The talk starts at 2:00 pm in the 3M Auditorium. Registration is recommended, but not required. This program is included with site admission.

This program is made possible by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.