I am the father of 3 beautiful black kids, a 4 year old son, Noah, and 2 year old fraternal twins, Isaiah and Imani. Being the father of black children means it is important for me that they see good examples of our race and culture in the things they are exposed to. Children’s dreams and hopes are based upon what they can envision, and these things are in some way determined by what kids see and are shown. I grew up watching a lot of cartoons and reading comics. I can only recall a handful of positive black characters, either in comics or on cartoons. In fact, I can still name them today. They were Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and guest appearances by The Harlem Globetrotters on Scooby Doo.
Fast forward forty years later and I am surprised to see that while there are more black characters or shows, there are really not many quality ones. It becomes increasingly difficult to find any of these that show melanated characters or have themes that show us outside of being just a friend or comrade of a non-melanated child. The majority of the characters in popular children’s stories are of course Caucasian, and that is not a judgment on my part, simply an observation.
This is one of the many reasons that we decided to write a book showcasing melanated characters with integrity, intellect, and a stable home environment with a normal plotline. We wanted to show black characters that have a life without struggle, enjoying each others’ company, and traveling the world having adventure. These are not themes that black children are used to seeing in our culture, and this segment of children’s literature needs to be fostered.