On the surface, this legislation is ambitious, but for Black children living in book deserts, it does not go far enough. 

According to the Cooperative Children鈥檚 Book Center, only of children鈥檚 books feature Black protagonists. So, even if a Black child receives a book from an organization funded by this $100 million, it鈥檚 unlikely that book will have a protagonist that looks like him or her.

Black children everywhere deserve high-quality books with Black characters that speak directly to their dreams.

Reimagining this legislation for Black children, I鈥檓 reminded of former President Barack Obama鈥檚 vision of the “.” My 鈥渟hould be鈥� world is one where Black children enjoy an abundance of high-quality books with protagonists of African descent whose stories nurture the visions for their lives.

Access to these types of books should not be a luxury or an afterthought; it is foundational to the education of Black children. Without these stories, Black children are robbed of critical into their potential. When they see their future selves, they can take small and big steps toward who they will become.

Years ago, I attended a meeting of literacy organizations in Pittsburgh, where I have lived for close to 20 years. Their leaders cited the cost of books with Black protagonists as a barrier to purchasing them. Curious, I researched prices and discovered that while a high-quality book like King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes cost $10, a lower-quality book such as Tarantula vs. Scorpion cost only $4.

The gap is not just about price 鈥� it鈥檚 about quality.

I’ve seen firsthand when I attend community events how some literacy organizations flood Black communities with low-quality books with strategic consistency. Meaning, they have a narrow focus on books that encourage reading rather than inspire Black children to see books as tools to develop vision for their life. These organizations do so to get books in the hands of families because that is one of the programmatic measures of impact in the industry.

These low-quality books feature cartoon, two-dimensional and animal characters, along with weak storylines. They may excite young readers for a moment but offer little to no insight into how children can develop into their future selves.

, an at Central Michigan University, asserted that Black boys living in book deserts need “access to books which reflect their experiences and motivation in the form of purposeful and leisure reading.” Her assertion similarly speaks to Black girls’ experiences.

I define high-quality books as having dynamic characters of African descent, robust storylines and insights that inspire young readers. Picture book biographies are among my favorite types of books of this kind.聽聽

When it comes to Black kids, there must not be any compromise. We should follow the example of , the founder of the Manchester Craftsman Guild. He provided subsidized meals to students attending his organization’s educational programs because he believed good food is not just for rich people, but it鈥檚 for everybody. Similarly, I believe high-quality books should not be just for rich people; they should be for everybody, especially Black children living in working-class communities.聽

Years ago, my wife and I hosted a pop-up bookshop at a local organization in Pittsburgh during Black History Month. A young girl approached our table and asked for a book about Black history. My wife showed her several books, while the girl’s tutor explained that she lived in a home where the adults did not read. The tutor said the girl’s family was not going to buy any books. As the tutor and the girl left the store, my wife put the books in a bag and handed them to me, asking me to give them to the girl. I hurried after them and gave her the bag.

A year later, I saw the tutor again, and she told me the books we gave her had a profound impact on the girl. The tutor has since purchased more books for her, as an investment in the girl鈥檚 dreams and future.

My call to action is for literacy organization leaders who conduct book giveaways to consider the following when purchasing books for Black kids. First, examine the types of books your organization is providing. Are you giving children high-quality books that inspire them to think about their dreams? Second, what larger theme(s) are your books speaking to? Third, high-quality books serve as tools that kids can grow with and glean important insights from over the years. Fourth, high-quality books have illustrations that allow the reader to follow the story as if they were an active character in it. Lastly, high-quality books leave an imprint on the reader’s heart, making them want to read them to their children when they grow up. 

Ultimately, when purchasing books for Black children, don鈥檛 frame the choices as a matter of quantity versus quality. Think of each book as an investment in Black children鈥檚 dreams 鈥� because it truly is.

On average, Black children in Michigan are far behind their peers across the country when it comes to a number of criteria, including graduating high school on time, completing an associate鈥檚 degree and fourth-grade reading proficiency.   

In fact, that was true of every benchmark measured in the Annie E. Casey Foundation鈥檚 new , which used data relating to early childhood, education and work experiences, family resources and neighborhood context.

鈥淲hile our recent state budgets have gone a long way toward making sure schools are sufficiently funded, that鈥檚 coming on the heels of decades of disinvestment,鈥� said Monique Stanton, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP), which houses the state鈥檚 Kids Count project.

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Stanton said that disinvestment in education has been compounded by a history of discriminatory policies targeting housing, property tax limits and local funding for neighborhoods.

鈥淭hose years of inadequate funding means Black children in Michigan are among the least likely to attend preschool, be proficient in reading and math, graduate high school on time or earn a post-secondary degree,鈥� she said.

First introduced in 2014 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Race for Results was next updated in 2017. However, this third edition contains data from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that the MLPP says demonstrates the urgency of crafting policy prescriptions to ensure all children can thrive.

鈥淩ace for Results contends that young people are missing critical developmental milestones as a direct result of choices to not invest in policies, programs, and services that support children, especially in under-resourced communities and communities of color,鈥� stated a news release.

While the report does note some metrics showing improvement in Michigan, it is uneven with some groups progressing and others continuing to struggle.

Michigan outpaced the overall national average when it comes to adults ages 25 to 29 who have completed an associate鈥檚 degree or higher. However, that progress is overshadowed by data indicating Black students were left behind, with just 20% earning that credential compared with 42% of Michigan鈥檚 young adults overall.

鈥淎s Michigan strives to grow our population and create a stronger sense of belonging for people who live in our state, it is critical that we address inequities through policy change,鈥� said Stanton. 鈥淲hen it comes to funding and supporting education, we must make deliberate choices to make sure that the next generation of students has the tools and resources they need to get ahead regardless of race, ZIP code or income.鈥�

Another area of progress in Michigan concerned children living in two-parent households, which MLPP says statistically have more resources and are more financially secure than single-parent households. While the increase applied to Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic children, as well as children who identify as two or more races, white children were the only group for which this indicator worsened.

The methodology utilized by the Race for Results report standardizes scores across 12 indicators that represent well-being milestones from cradle to career. Those scores are converted to a scale ranging from 0 to 1,000 to more easily compare differences across states and racial and ethnic groups. Indicators are grouped into four areas: early childhood, education and early work experiences, family resources, and neighborhood context.

Across all 50 states, the index demonstrated experiences vary widely depending on where a child lives, from a high of 877 for Asian and Pacific Islander children in New Jersey to a low of 180 for American Indian or Alaska Native children in South Dakota.

鈥淵oung people are missing critical developmental milestones as a direct result of choices to fail to invest in policies, programs, and services that support children, especially in under-resourced communities and communities of color,鈥� said a by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

As an example of policy decisions that can have almost immediate impact, the report points to the time-limited expansion of the federal child tax credit initiated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While most of the families temporarily lifted out of poverty were families of color, the policy also improved financial stability for families of all racial and ethnic groups.

鈥淭he expanded child tax credit鈥檚 success in providing a more stable foundation for children is an example of the innovative solutions American leaders can develop when they follow data and evidence and act with deliberate speed,鈥� said the report.

Race for Results provides several recommendations toward improving outcomes for all children:

• Congress should expand the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC). The temporary, pandemic-era expansion of the CTC lifted , with the share of kids in poverty falling to 5.2% in 2021, the lowest rate on record.States and Congress should expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (Michigan did this in 2023).
• Lawmakers should consider baby bonds and children鈥檚 savings accounts 鈥� programs that contribute public funds to dedicated accounts to help families save for their children鈥檚 future.
• Policymakers must create targeted programs and policies that can close well-being gaps for young people of color, because universal policies are important but insufficient for continued progress.

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