A Small Guide to Diversity | Chat with JBelkBooks

Random Quote of the Day: “Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.” – Lily Tomlin

Hello sunshines! I’ve been hesitant to write this post for some reason, but I have defeated my mind and decided to finally write this for sure-needed discussion. And, it’s BLACK HISTORY MONTH, so why not:

GUIDE TO DIVERSITY

Now, I am in no means an expert on Diversity, so just a disclaimer. Everything that I am expressing today is what I’ve learned over the course of a year or so, and with that being said, this is generally an ADVICE post. Take or leave my advice — it’s your choice.

In this post I’ll be covering some minor advice, regarding how to promote diversity, how to get involved, and some things to stay away from. This is only a small guide and I’m sure I could add so much more to this post, but there’s always time for a Part Two.

HOW TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY

There are some simple ways to promote diversity just from sitting down, on the internet, reading this post. Here’s a list:

Speak UP, don’t stay silent. This is the BIGGEST advice I can give anyone with a voice. You have a voice, so use it in the best way possible. If you are a victim of discrimination, abuse…speak up and talk to people whether it’s your family, friends, or some strangers on the internet; let them know who you are and I promise you’ll find support. There are tons of people just like you even if it doesn’t seem like it. So use that voice of yours to advocate what you believe so others can educate themselves.

Speak OUT against discrimination, racists, homophobics…Again, your voice is SO powerful and YOU have the ability to spread awareness everyday. Staying silent & being a bystander is just as bad as committing the crime.

 With that being said, please make sure to consider the impact of your words before you express them. Are you using problematic terms? Are you perpetrating biases or prejudices for “fun”?? If you are unsure about something that may come off as offensive, ask someone. Find a reliable source, and ASK QUESTIONS.

 Be open-minded, do your research, learn about other people and their differences, and ACCEPT and UNDERSTAND them. Before you read that one book that everyone is hyped about, do your research on the author and what they’re known to write about. Before you retweet a post from a friend or famous author, understand what you are sharing. It may seem like a lot of work, but if it’s for a great cause it’s definitely worth it.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

 Take small steps. From experience, you can’t just jump right in into being an activist no matter how much you want to because you are still LEARNING. Start by retweeting reliable sources with great representation on Twitter. Find accounts, blogs, websites to promote and share. For my book lovers, We Need Diverse Books is a great place to start.

Create and share posts like this one. Whether it’s a Guide post, a Recommendations post…ANYTHING to help spread awareness is the way to go. Don’t think that you have to CONSTANTLY preach what you believe in, but taking the initiative to do it when you think is necessary is ideal. However, by all means, if you want to preach Diversity, more power to you!

 Educate others. Whether it’s your family and friends, your co-workers, or some random people on social media, share meaningful websites, sources, and even people. There are a ton of book bloggers that promote diversity, including Naz, Ryy, Whitney, Mishma, Chioma, and many others.

QUICK TIPS AND TRICKS

What you say and how you say it can make a big difference. Again, this all ties back to research and asking questions. Stay away from offensive, prejudice terms. Represent a culture, community, etc. accurately and positively.

 Hypocrisy is not the way to go. You don’t have to STOP reading non-Diverse books or supporting non-Diverse authors all together, but if you are going to promote diversity, review Diverse novels. Share Diverse novels. Purchase your general novels ALONG with the Diverse ones. Practice what you preach, my friends.

 Take part in Diverse Reading Challenges, Chats, etc. This is SO simple — I guarantee if you type “diverse reading challenge” into Google right now, you’ll find A LEAST one for 2017. Look into those, find chats on Twitter, and collaborate with others to further educate yourself. I recommend THIS Diverse Reading Challenge for starters.

 

So, what are you going to do to make a difference and promote diversity? Our world is in grave need of equality, and YOU can help one step at a time. Combine what you love, whether it’s books or blogging, and use your platform to promote what means the most. YOU have a voice, so use it for the greater good of the world. In the words of Gandhi, be the change you want to see in the world.

SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT.

Thanks for reading & I’ll see you next time…

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