Activist Authors and British Child Readers of Colour

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Activist and radical left politics in Britain have long been concerned with issues of race. It is not until the 1960s, when the British population began seeing an increased populace of British-born children from Black and Asian backgrounds, that a significant number of writers began addressing children of colour about activist and radical ideas. Exploring some of the activists producing work from the late 1960s onwards and how and why they wrote and published for children, this text examines the space given to people of colour by white activists; the voice agency and intersectionality in activist writing for young people; how writers used activism to expand definitions of Britishness for child readers; and finally, how activism and writing about it has changed in the 21st century.

From communist and feminist activists concerned with broader children's rights, such as Chris Searles and Rosemary Stones, to Black Panthers and contemporary advocates for people of colour from Farrukh Dhondy to Floella Benjamin, Benjamin Zephaniah to Liv Little, Karen Sands-O'Connor traces how these radicals translated their values for children of colour. Beginning with the incidents that sparked activism and the first cultural products for children up to the mainstream presses publishing figures such as the grime artist Stormzy, this book analyses the choices, struggles and successes of writers of activist literature as they tried to change Britain and British literature to make it a welcoming place for all child readers.