As many of you know, I'm a sucker for a good reading challenge. And this summer an Instagrammer known as @MelanatedReader has issued a timely challenge worth considering.
Her "One Million Black Books" initiative encourages people to pledge to finish at least one book by a Black author this summer.
History has shown that spotlighting authors from marginalized groups leads to a greater diversity of reading material, and that's good for everyone.
When I was growing up, less than 1 percent of children's books spotlighted Black characters. Children were more likely to encounter a talking truck or dinosaur than a Black or Hispanic character.
Forty years later the stats are better, but not much.
Expanding our reading gives us insight into other people's experiences, and that builds kindness and empathy.
So, one book this summer? I think we can all manage that.
If you're looking for ideas on books by Black authors, you might check out Wichita's Black-owned bookstore, Left on Read, which recently moved to 2721 E. Central, inside the Revolutsia shipping container center.
