Your panel offered many great ideas in response to the question posed (What one change would you make to achieve black equality in Britain?, 29 October) and some recurring ones that we at Strength in Stories are trying to address. We are three independent publishers owned and run by people of colour, and our core purpose is to embed change in UK publishing (specifically children’s fiction).
We need black creatives in senior positions in UK publishing, as Yomi Sode says. Until that happens, we will not have the agency to ensure that UK publishing changes permanently or that changes are more than surface level. As publishers of children’s fiction, we produce a range of stories that speak to black equality in the UK: books that enrich and diversify the curriculum (for example, Dinah Orji’s Children of the Benin Kingdom) and books in which black children have fun and enjoy themselves (such as Let’s Skate! by Claire Ndario and Kandice Johnson, or Ready for an Adventure by Abbi-Jean Read).
As Sussie Anie says, stories that centre joy and curiosity are vital, and we are committed to providing opportunities for black creatives to produce work that does just that. You can find out more about our campaign at www.strengthinstories.com.
Sonya McGilchrist
Owner and publisher, Dinosaur Books
