I wanted to have a body of work behind me before I wrote about racism.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of experience and knowledge before addressing complex topics like racism.
Malorie Blackman's quote reflects her belief that to write authentically and insightfully about racism, one must first accumulate a substantial body of work that provides the necessary context and understanding of the subject. This underscores the idea that genuine expertise is crucial when tackling sensitive social issues, ensuring that the discussion is nuanced and informed rather than superficial.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion panel on addressing social justice in literature.
What I wanted to do was use literature and different kinds of stories and poems as a springboard, tapping into the creativity of our teens - I wanted teenagers to come up with their own creative responses to literature - using books themselves as a starting point.
I remember going into a bookshop, and the only book I saw with a black child on the cover was 'A Thief in the Village' by James Berry, and I thought, 'Is this still the state of publishing?' Then I thought, 'Either I can whine about it or try to do something about it.'
I hope to instill, in every child I meet, my love and enthusiasm for reading and stories.
Children will go with any story as long as it's good, but white adults sometimes think that if a black child's on the cover, it is perhaps not for them.
History should belong to all of us, and it needs to include people from different cultural backgrounds. Otherwise, it risks becoming irrelevant to children, who could then become disenchanted with education.
I read a lot of highly unsuitable books for an 11-year-old. I was desperate to read as widely as possible. I thought, 'There are so many places I am never going to get the chance to visit, but I can if I read them.' And I did. I could go anywhere in the world - and off it - by reading.
Child labor perpetuates poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, population growth and other social problems.
You meet folks who are funny and really smart and persistent and loving that are confronting this thing we call poverty, which is just a shorthand for this way of life that holds you underwater. And you just wonder what our country would be if we allowed these people to flourish and reach their full potential.
Childhood hunger in America is as much a paradox as it is a tragedy. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, should hunger darken the lives and dreams of 12 million children and their families? I believe that, when Americans learn the facts and understand how their involvement can make a difference, banishing childhood hunger will be a national, local and personal priority.
Do not romanticize the poor...We are all people, human beings subject to the same temptations and faults as all others. Our poverty damages our dignity.
Too many of the conflicts which are caused today are caused by the problems that emerge from people who are in poverty.
Discrimination has a lot of layers that make it tough for minorities to get a leg up.
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