Introducing the Diversity Dialogue Blog by Isabel O'Hagin

Artwork created by Rebecca Howe

Welcome to our SCBWI-MI Diversity Dialogue blog! As chair of the DEI committee, I’m happy to author this first post with committee member and Blog Co-host, Angie Verges. Our aim is to engage members in what we hope will be stimulating dialogue that will build community and make a difference. We encourage you to contact us if you’d like to suggest a topic for discussion and/or have resources to share with our members. Our blog posts will include information on various projects that our committee will undertake with your support and allies in our communities.

Our mission, as stated on our chapter’s website, is to welcome and celebrate writers and illustrators who represent a broad spectrum of backgrounds and who seek to create quality literature that reflects the lives of all young children. We understand the power of children seeing themselves represented in books. Such diverse reading experiences can lead to empathy, understanding and respect. It is vital that we do all we can to implement initiatives that will address issues of diversity, inclusivity and accessibility for our kidlit community that will in turn help us write books for all children.

We believe in bringing about change in a three-fold vision: Include, Engage, and Embrace.

INCLUDE: We strive for the inclusion of marginalized and underrepresented communities in children’s literature within our membership.

ENGAGE: We aim to fully engage members, communities, and allies by identifying resources and support available and other professional-growth activities.

EMBRACE: We provide a ‘welcoming place’ to nurture and better support communication and networking within the diverse voices of our members, the community and potential members. Everyone has a seat at the table.

Artwork created by Rebecca Howe

Our committee’s focus on diversity is aligned with #WeNeedDiverseBooks:
We recognize all diverse experiences, including but not limited to LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and cultural and religious minorities. Because of the breadth of this focus, we will be particularly conscious of the intersectionality of oppressions and identities.

I recently read an article about a young designer breaking into the field who in addressing issues of equity and inclusion and access hung up a sign in his studio: YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY IN THE WRONG PLACE. For me, the subtext served as a challenge: stake your own place in the world, renegotiate your own self-identity, and define your own positionality. Be courageous!

There have been times in my professional life where a sense of exclusion permeated my existence. I often had to pinch myself and say, “You belong here.” Fortunately, I didn’t experience this sense of displacement within SCBWI circles. I’ve been a member for six years and am grateful for the camaraderie and support I consistently receive from my SCBWI friends—and it is reciprocated. However, we need to assure that all current and potential members feel valued and affirmed. Our goal as a committee is to make sure there is space for everyone at our ever-expanding table.

As the DEI committee, we look forward to collaborative partnerships with allies throughout the state to actualize our vision. As the Kalamazoo Area Shop Talk Coordinator, I will bring this message to my local community and encourage you to do the same. Together we can make everyone feel they are indeed in the RIGHT place and that their voices are valued in SCBWI-MI. By doing so we will continue to develop and nurture all kidlit creators to produce quality literature that reflects the lives of all young children.

 – Isabel O’Hagin

Greetings from Angie:
We encourage you to join our dialogue and hope that you find value in something expressed through our blog posts. Any nugget of inspiration or encouragement you take away is like finding a diamond in the rough.

The Diversity Dialogue will be a monthly feature on the SCBWI-MI Mitten Blog. Stop by the Diversity Dialogue Blog Page anytime and look for our next post in December. As writers or illustrators have you thought about giving yourself a gift for the holidays? Are there unique traditions that you incorporate in your writing life? In December, we'll explore holiday traditions, seasonal traditions, and just plain old kidlit stuff.

Learn more and meet the DEI committee members here: 
https://michigan.scbwi.org/2019/09/11/announcing-the-scbwi-mi-diversity-and-inclusivity-committee/

Let's get our dialogue started! 

Your opinion is important to us. Join our dynamic dialogue this month and leave a comment below as we pose this question:

What two actions can members take to make SCBWI-MI more accessible, equitable, and inclusive?