Where are all the black girls?

the significance of black female protagonists

This post was supposed to be about the antebellum time traveling novel Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, but I’m still working out my thoughts.  There is plenty to unpack; the connection between the past and present, the impact of the slave trade, interracial marriage, etc.  Not to mention the allegories that are deeply woven through the storyline and characters of this book.  So, I’m taking my time. Look out for it later!

Instead, I’ll deviate from the heavy lectures about the slave trade and move into sharing the significance of black female protagonists.

Representation matters.

I remember being in elementary school and looking closely at a girl on the cover of a preteen chapter book. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. I thought, “I want her hair.” The popular books of the 1980s were full of white girls. I didn’t say it out loud, but I, and every girl who looked like me, subconsciously wondered, “Where are all the black girls?”

While I’m sure that somewhere in America, there were blac…