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20 2SLGBTQ+ Children and YA Books in Honour of Capital Pride Festival
Today marks the launch of the 2019 Ottawa Capital Pride Festival, from August 18th to 25th. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that took place on June 28th 1969. Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a…
Let’s Go Adventure Outdoors (With Books!)
A recent article published in the Atlantic poses the question: Why aren’t Black children represented in books about nature?In the article, Black American librarian and Gold Star Girl Scout (Girl Scouting’s highest honour) Michelle Martin notes the absence of books…
Gender: the pressures to conform start young
My 5 year old came home one day asking me to dig up his old green snow suit so that he could wear it to school the next day. I asked him if there was something wrong with his newer…
Our Kids’ Book Pics
by Leslie Robertson Our 5 year-old twins have been reading these books with their mamas for months now but it’s time to return them to the library. All three feature diverse characters and are overt in tackling broader social issues…
We Need to Teach our Children to Embrace Diversity
Op-ed published in Huffington Post My daughter scrolls through the atlas with her little fingers. “Mommy, is this the country where that man killed all the people?” She asks, pointing to New Zealand. “Why did he make such bad decisions?”…
Beautiful stories about Muslim kids: Counternarratives
A lot of people I know have been asking themselves this past week about how to talk to their kids about Islamophobia, bigotry, hatred, and violence. As the parent of a 5½ -year-old I can tell you I have a…
It’s International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day!!! Today we honour, celebrate, and remember the achievements of women around the world to the social, political, economic and cultural fabric of our society. The United Nations theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Think…
Racism in Hockey
Outrage over a recent hockey game reverberated through social media after a Black hockey player, Jonathan-Ismaël Diaby, was targeted by racist taunting and slurs. People are angry not only because of the racist incident in which a so-called “fan” called…
A Weekend of Workshops on Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Schools
In March, 2018, Parents for Diversity, along with black organizations in the National Capital Region, met with then Attorney General of Ontario, Yasir Naqvi, to discuss systemic racism in schools. During the meeting, parents shared their experiences of being silenced…
Dreams of a young artist: Role models and inspiration
My 6-year-old recently declared she is going to be an artist when she grows up.When she does arts and crafts, she gets in this zone that is beautiful to watch. You can see she is feeling inspired, thinking about what…
