I wasn’t going to post anything about the Bloomsbury controversy. But the fact that my blog reader was filled with opinions of the cover of Jaclyn Dolamore’s debut novel, Magic Under Glass including an Open Letter to Bloomsbury by teen YA blogger Ari over at Reading in Color, I knew that I would have to post my thoughts.

I haven’t read this book so I haven’t seen the passages that describe the main character. But from what I understand, the model on the cover isn’t the correct representation.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Last year, I wrote two posts about the Liar cover controversy, which in the end got changed to a while not accurate but closer representation of the protagonist.

Many people may say why make a big deal about a cover. It happens all the time. Covers never really depict the characters and it’s the story that really counts anyway. This may all be true. But for kids and teens of color, this is something they see only on occasion: A reflection of themselves on a cover or a story that reflects their culture.

It is something I am very cognizant of being a writer of color who writes multicultural characters. It IS important to get the portrayal right on a cover. It IS important for kids and teens to see themselves.

This reminds me of an experience I had with one of my god-daughters—who is only 4 years old. She loves Disney princesses. Just ask her and she will tell you, LOL. She has all of the books and the accessories. But when Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog came out, she told me how much she loved that now there was a princess who looked like her. But what hurt me the most is that later she finally admitted to me that she didn’t believe that she could be a princess until Tiana.

It is one of the reasons that I write for kids and teens. Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of books that portrayed me or my world. But it didn’t stop me from reading and falling in love with books. It is the same with writing. This uphill battle with book covers and the overall landscape won’t stop me from writing about multicultural characters.

There are many ways to respond to something like this. You can protest. You can boycott. You can state your opinion on the matter. As an individual, it is your choice to choose your reaction.

For me, I plan to use my creative mind and my pen. To learn the craft and write the best story that I can for a kid or teen who can see themselves reflected back in the pages.

But to remain silent or to ignore it or to downplay it will not make it go away. To go forward, there has to be movement.