Writing about Climate Change for Kids: Amplifying Black Voices for Social Justice, Racial Equity, and Caring for Our Planet

Join authors Pam Courtney, Andrea Loney, and Crystal Allen as they discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change. This impassioned #HFGather will explore the power of storytelling to inspire meaningful change for our future. Through this conversation, we hope to connect ways that children’s books can offer a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between social justice, racial equity, and caring for our planet. Our children are grappling with pollution and climate-related disasters, stories can help them find hope in their world. Our storytellers will share their personal experiences and offer insight into considerations other storytellers may make, especially when it comes to the many ways in which communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change, and how it is all of our responsibilities to support our children in creating a safe and more equitable planet! The Highlights Foundation is proud to learn from and work alongside Knology to amplify Black Storytellers in STEM. BlackRep4Kids is a National Science Foundation-funded project led by Knology, in collaboration with the Highlights Foundation, the National Black Child Development Institute, and the Association of Children’s Museums. The project brings together Black researchers and practitioners from a variety of fields (including climate science, developmental psychology, informal learning, and children’s media) to collaboratively develop methods and strategies for creating children’s climate media that helps Black families and their children discuss, prepare for, and respond to a multitude of environmental threats.