University of Pittsburgh Library System

The number of educated black youths has vastly grown since the end of slavery. With this increase in education comes an increase in the black child’s exposure to literature. As black children read in the early twentieth century, they found few books that depicted characters in a positive light. When the Black Arts movement grew during the Civil Rights era, which is only a cross section of history that differs in significant ways from what has come before and after, many authors sought to write and illustrate more books that were depictive of the rising black minority population. Some of these books were targeted specifically at children in hopes that the children will start learning about the importance of the black race early. These children’s book authors focused on three main points, which mirrored those that were being preached to adults during Civil Rights, and most importantly, the depiction of black people succeeding in society by dreaming, working hard, not being discouraged, and caring for one another. The children reading these works would not only be educated but also be instilled with a yearning to aim for a brighter future for themselves and for the black race.