Explore librarian Augusta Baker's rationale for creating Books About the Negro for Children (BANFC) and the three criteria she used (i.e. language, theme, and illustration) to identify books. Baker used language because she was cognizant that demeaning terms could damage black youth's self-esteem. Baker chose theme because black life needed to be represented holistically. Thirdly, she focused upon illustrations because portrayals of blacks should be visually appealing. This talk illustrates how BANFC served as a resource to educators, parents, and others who actively sought (yet had difficulty unearthing) non-stereotypical, well-written and thoughtfully illustrated children's books about black life.
