indigenous rising

Representation Matters: Doc McStuffins
As you know, I am such a fan of media representation for women in STEM, but I haven’t given fair credit to the amazing Doc McStuffins! I feel like I’ve been living under a rock, but this little girl is absolutely perfect. She’s the daughter of a doctor and takes the things she learns from her mom and applies them to her own practice, Her toy practice! She’s smart, curious and according to show creator Chris Nee, she’s also a “strong, assertive character who’s going places in life”. In one episode she was struggling with a diagnosis for one of her patients, but that didn’t get her down. “I won’t give up, until I figure it out!” she cried! She is just the role model pre-school kids deserve.
While she’s teaching kids about health and hygiene, she also making a huge impact. Doc McStuffins is a top rated-program for the 2-5 age group. Little boys and girls love her; merchandise of the show garnered more than $500 million in sales last year. I can’t go to a restaurant or a grocery store anymore without seeming some kid toting her doll around. She’s everywhere!
While she’s awesome and adorable, most importantly she’s a great role model for young girls, especially for girls of color. There is a disproportionately low number of women in STEM, but there’s an even less women of color in STEM fields. Women of color make up about 7% of employed scientists and only 1.9% of the nation’s doctors.
“It’s so powerful to show representation of somebody who’s not usually on TV”, show creator Chris Nee spoke of this importance in a recent interview with MSNBC. Representation matters. Women, especially young people, need to see themselves in the characters they see. It gives them to the chance to say “I could do that, I could be that”. Even Disney executives admit the power media has on the way people, especially kids, see the world. So for a character like Doc McStuffins, a little girl of color who is interested in STEM, to have all the force of the Disney brand behind her, is something to truly celebrate!

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1,348 notes

diversityinya:

weneeddiversebooks:
#WeNeedDiverseBooks because as an avid reader growing up, I never read a book with a heroine that looked like me. It wasn’t until my 30s, after my debut SILVER PHOENIX was published, that i realized I had written the novel that I never got to read as a teen. Cindypon.tumblr.com
Submitted by Cindy Pon, author of Silver Phoenix and Fury of the Phoenix.
This is my contribution to the fabulous #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign taking social media by storm. Join in!

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1,839 notes

weneeddiversebooks:

#WeNeedDiverseBooks because I want my daughter to know that she can be a leading lady!
Submission by Maya Prasad, www.mayaprasad.com

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weneeddiversebooks:

#WeNeedDiverseBooks that tell the stories of interracial families
http://thelinkbetweenworlds.com/

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weneeddiversebooks:

“#WeNeedDiverseBooks because we live in a culturally diverse world.”
“#WeNeedDiverseBooks because every child deserves to see herself represented in a good story.”
“#WeNeedDiverseBooks because good stories come in all colors.”
Submitted by Elizabeth Zunon, children’s book illustrator.

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6,930 notes

leeandlow:

Did you know that NY state has more that 140 languages spoken by its students?
This is why #weneeddiversebooks.

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1,518 notes

Attanya: #WeNeedDiverseBooks because I love science fiction and fantasy books, but I’m tired of authors treating dragons and robots and magic as more plausible than black and brown characters
Jennifer: #WeNeedDiverseBooks because… when I was 13 a white girl told me it was selfishthat all of the protagonists in my stories were Latina because she “just can’t relate to nonwhite characters.” She made me feel guilty for writing about people like me.
Aiesha: #WeNeedDiverseBooks because…Black Girls are more than sidekicks or “sassy, ghetto friend”
Facts and Figures About Race/Ethnicity in YA and Children’s Lit:
88% of the books on the 2013 Publisher’s Weekly YA Bestsellers were about white protagonists
93% of the authors on the 2013 Publisher’s Weekly YA Bestsellers were white authors
85% of the books on the 2014 Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list were about white protagonists
90% of the authors on the 2014 Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list were white authors
91% of the authors on the 2013 New York Times’s Bestseller Lists for YA and Children’s Lit were white authors.
According to the 2012 Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 3.3% of books were about African-American protagonists; only 2.1% were about Asian and Pacific Islander protagonists; only 1.5% were about Latinx protagonists; and only 0.6% were about Native American protagonists. That means over 90% of children’s books surveyed were about white protagonists.
#WENEEDDIVERSEBOOKS

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byronegg:

Picture Imperfect
—-
Something for Teaching Tolerance magazine to accompany a story about how most children’s books and libraries lack a diverse perspective. AD Valerie Downes.

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13,133 notes

hollywood:
christian bale in a tan as moses

hollywood:
here are some films of white people with varying hair types and colors

white people:
JESUS CHRIST SO MUCH DIVERSITY!!!11

hollywood:
jake gyllenhaal in a tan as a persian

hollywood:
long haired rugged tom cruise as the last samurai

hollywood:
airbender but with whites

hollywood:
khan doesn't even sound white but fuck it lol

hollywood:
white history year

white people:
what a time to be alive!!

poc:
is it cool if you guys started including us in movies and stories that don't misrepresent or erase us for a change? your obsession with white skin is getting out of hand..

white people:
UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM?????////? HELL O? I N A C C U R A TE. POC DIDN'T EXIST IN THE PAST PRESENT OR FUTURE DUH. MAYBE MAKE UR OWN, STUPID SJW!

poc:
We're not... we just don't wanna be eras--

white people:
IT IS NOT ABOUT THE COLOUR OF SKIN

3,549 notes

It’s war on Natives in media, we ain’t going out without a fight.

Instagram, Art, and Native American Narratives

Respect to apaches-and-angels for holding it down in the struggle.

#DECOLONIZE

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(Source: hyperallergic.com, via pushenkw)

273 notes

Something that is talked about consistently in my child develop and education classes is representation; establishing a multicultural environment with equal representation of each child, that fosters a sense of belonging and security with the child. A common mistake in this is the use of stereotypical artifacts; for example, finding out a new student is Native American and then a kachina doll is bought as a decoration, or a dream catcher, etc. The idea of creating a comforting environment is not going out and buying stereotyped pieces, but rather getting to know the child and their family and finding pieces that are typical in the child’s life. Efforts made to promote diversity often fail thereby promoting racist stereotypes.

Some Ideas that Promote Diversity

Images of the children and their families. Photos of their family celebrations and/or holidays. Family members coming into the classroom to read a book, teach a craft, cook or prepare a snack, talk about their job, etc.
Media, Literature, and materials that are inclusive and depict: diversity in people’s mobility and physical and mental abilities, the use of Braille, multiple languages, equal representations of persons of color, gender neutral, gender ambiguity, transexual community, homosexual community, career diversity, religious diversity, cultural diversity, members of the community, music diversity, etc.
Physical accessibility: the use of ramps, railings, and other mobility tools.
The implementation of texture diversity: getting away from plastics and replacing materials with cottons, wools, woods, metal, etc.
Personal pieces and/or materials brought in from a child’s home, or replicated. Examples: potted plant, musical instruments, fabrics and throws, toys and plushy toys, cooking tools, music, photographs, artwork, etc.

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angryasiangirlsunited:

Stephanie “Soultree” Anne Ladrera Camba
Read more & listen to a performance here:http://bit.ly/1dpIieZ

Image by Sarah Jane Rhee of
http://loveandstrugglephotos.com/

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489 notes