Cross-Cultural Skills Engagement: February 11, 2021
During the Spring semester of my Junior year, Dr. Harrington — my 3-5 reading professor — encouraged my class to attend this event hosted by METRC: African American Read-In — First Thirty Thursdays. The event I attended featured Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, local author and winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe award for 2021. Check out the full description of the event here!
During the event, Kerri Brown Parker of METRC read aloud part of the book Legendborn. As she read aloud, we listened in reflected on the reading and the importance literacy plays in Black History Month. I have done many projects about the importance of representation in children’s literature. I often think about representation in terms of characters featured in the book, but it is also equally important that there is representation in authors, illustrators, and other contributors in the literary world.
The discussion that followed the read aloud was really powerful! Although this book is not developmentally appropriate for the young students I am teaching, the conversations were rich and can be applied to picture books featuring Black characters, written and illustrated by Black authors and illustrators. I am thankful for the events that METRC organizes that help build my cross-cultural skills! Check out what else METRC is hosting here.
