Book fair encourages literacy and diversity for kids

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- An event focused on highlighting learning, while supporting diversity took place in the Sherman Park neighborhood on Saturday, Oct. 12. 

The Black Child Book Fair is all about encouraging representation.

Darryl Harvey is director and creator of the event. "I created the Black Child Book Fair after discovering a need of Black parents to find books for their children that had images and stories that included Black faces," said Harvey.

Harvey says he created the event back in 2019 in Chicago. Now in 2024, they're holding the fair in more than a dozen cities across the country. Attendees can meet Black authors from the area and beyond. Harvey says the response has been overwhelming.

"We get parents. We get excited children, social workers, teachers. It’s been a really great experience and continues to grow and I hope for more in the next year," he said.

As an author himself, Harvey says his love for literacy helps drive his effort to keep this event going. "I travel around the country promoting the books that I’ve written, and I would run into Black parents that would tell me it was really hard for them to find books with Black faces in them," he said.

Harvey says most mainstream books in the children's genre don't include stories that represent the Black community.

"You are more likely to find an animal or Caucasian child than you are to find a Black face. With other minorities, the number goes lower," he said.

Harvey hopes to build a legacy for years to come for families of color to enjoy, learn and fall in love with reading.