The representation of blackness in children's literature

Authors

Keywords:

Black, Blackness, Afro-descendants, Children's literature, Childhood, Representation

Abstract

This text reviews the presence of black characters in narratives for children. It highlights some of the first stories that make black people visible, albeit as slaves, such as Pedro Melenas, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Huckleberry Finn. Later, it presents some examples of contemporary books for children in the United States and Latin America, concluding with an overview of narratives aimed at children featuring black characters. Through this overview, we can appreciate the evolution and changes in the approach to blackness in literature for children and young people (LNNJ).

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Author Biographies

María Teresa Orozco López, Universidad de Guadalajara

Bachelor's degree in Hispanic Literature and Preschool Education; Master's degree in Education Sciences, Master's degree in Children's and Young Adult Books and Literature. Doctorate in Humanities and Arts. Founded and directed Asquilines, a reading and literature center for children and young adults in Guadalajara, Jalisco, from 2010 to 2016. She has worked as a teacher at the preschool, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Some of her articles have been used as teaching materials in teacher training colleges. Her research focuses on literacy, reading, and literature for children and young people. She is a Level 1 member of the National System of Researchers. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5233-5409

Jesús Emiliano López Gómez, Universidad de Guadalajara

Student of Creative Writing at the University of Guadalajara and Technician in Plastic Arts at CEDART José Clemente Orozco. He completed a diploma in Educational Anthropology at the BECAR IAP Foundation in Madrid, as well as other courses related to art, culture, and education. He has worked as a workshop leader and musician on various projects since 2015. He currently works as Administrative Coordinator at the Crescendo con la Música México Foundation.

Elba Edith Ramírez Bañuelos, Universidad de Guadalajara

Master's degree in Education Sciences and PhD candidate in Humanities from the University of Guadalajara (UdeG). She trained as a reading mediator at the José Emilio Pacheco Chair at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and has been a workshop leader at book fairs in Sharjah, Los Angeles (LéaLA), and Guadalajara (FIL niños). She designed and coordinated the shared reading and creative writing workshop at the Educational Center for High Abilities (CEPAC). She currently teaches graduate courses at the Institute for Research and Teaching for Teachers and high school courses at the Jesuit University of Guadalajara ITESO. https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8002-4058

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Published

2026-02-18

How to Cite

Orozco López, M. T., López Gómez, J. E., & Ramírez Bañuelos, E. E. (2026). The representation of blackness in children’s literature. Horizontes De La Gestión Cultural, 5(9), 23–40. Retrieved from https://horizontesgestioncultural.cuaad.udg.mx/index.php/horizontesgestionc/article/view/35

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 9 (2025): January-June

Section

Artículos de investigación

License

Copyright (c) 2025 María Teresa Orozco López, Jesús Emiliano López Gómez and Elba Edith Ramírez Bañuelos

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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