In the world right now, and particularly in the U.S.A. there is a lot of unrest, unhappiness, fear, anger, frustration, hopelessness due to the still ever present acts of racism and particularly injustices against people of coloured skin.
For those of us who are lucky to live and work in places where people are accepting and appreciative of our differences, we can see what is happening, see the pain and suffering — but wonder, how can we really help? How can WE make a difference?
In localities where racism is rife, peaceful protesting (raising awareness), joining politics (being a leader or decision maker), or being a part of support services to help affected people, are some main options.
When we are on the other side of the world and not directly able to support or take action, we can still make a difference in a more subtle and long-term way.
We can educate our communities, and especially our young generations, to be accepting of differences, appreciative of diversity, confident to express individuality, respectful of all other human beings, and grateful to live on this wonderful planet.
For us, as a publishing company, we have made an effort (and we know we can still do better!) to make our collection of children’s books feature, hero and include a diverse group of characters. Children need to see characters that they can relate to as individuals. They also need to see that it is okay, and in fact beneficial, to respectfully and empathetically interact and collaborate with other people of an infinite range of looks, tastes and abilities. They need to see the adults in their lives being welcoming, understanding, kind and inclusive towards other human beings. So that’s what WE can do, and we can influence our children, our future generations, to help us make a difference and create a better world.
