How to Decolonize Your Bookshelf
Writer and podcaster Ally Henny posted on Facebook in January some excellent steps you can take to decolonize your bookshelf and support BIPOC writers in all genres.
Listen close and listen good.
In case you can’t see the image above on your device, her advice is as follows:
“Here are four things that you can do to de-colonize your bookshelf this year:
• Add books written by black, brown, and Indigenous people. Try to add at least one book from an author of color for every book written by a White person that you buy this year.
• Purge books that are racist or written by problematic authors. The goal isn’t to run away from alternative viewpoints or ideas with which we disagree, but these should not be the dominant voices in your library. There are some beloved works that are racist trash and belong in university libraries (where they can be studied for the trash that they are) and not in our personal collections.
• Don’t pigeonhole authors of color. Black, brown, and Indigenous people can do more than talk about race...pick books from your favorite genre written by authors of color.
• Don’t hold authors of color to a higher standard. Not every book written by a black, brown, or Indigenous author will automatically be great and that’s 100% okay. If you have mediocre or crappy books written by white authors, you can also have some mediocre books from people of color on your shelves, too.”
Ally Henny is a writer and speaker on the topic of race, racial healing, and racial conciliation. Her podcast, Combing the Roots with Ally Henny, provides an in-depth look at the issues surrounding racism, justice, and racial healing from a black woman’s perspective and is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
You can learn more on her website and support her by giving recurring gifts through Patreon or purchasing anti-racism inspired gear at Henny’s online store, Sartorial Antiracism.
Please donate if you can to your local Black Lives Matter chapter and these charities now.
Jo Ramsay
is a Canadian editor and writer. She’s worked in publishing for four years and continues to pursue opportunities in Canada and abroad. She’s worked at two publishing houses (Arsenal Pulp Press and Greystone Books) and was the blog and opinions editor at The Ubyssey newspaper. She’s lived in Canada, the UK, and Japan.