Many teachers and parents struggle to explain that Black people are not, in fact, the color black. It would have helped to provide a foundation of language from which to explore the concept further. I wish I had access to this book at those times. What an observation! As a teacher and a parent, this distinction has come up over the years.

In the author’s note, Joy described a moment when her preschool-aged child stated that they aren’t Black, but brown, talking about the color of her skin. White supremacy, racism, and the perpetuation of stereotypes about Black culture have done incredible damage over the years. So how do you reconcile that with Black culture? What underlying biases do we attach to Black culture? A lot. It’s not that the color black is only associated with negative emotions, it’s that there are far more examples of black meaning bad. The only immediate thing I could think of was a fancy Black Tie event in which case the color black represents sophistication. We have to consciously think about associating the color black with anything positive. Bad guys in stories always wear black and scary things happen in the dark. We can find it in everyday language - The Black Plague, Black Magic, Black sheep, etc. Ever think about how the color black has so many negative connotations? In the US, the color black is given easily to negative associations. The color Black evokes an emotional response that is highly dependent on the culture in which you are raised. Using poetry and simple, intentional language, this story is a great way to bring to young readers the concept of what it means to be Black. It is a list of all things beautiful and black both in our world and in Black people. “Black is A Rainbow Color” written by Angela Joy and illustrated by Ekua Holmes is a story that helps young children think about the color black and some of the things that represent Black culture.

Black is a rainbow color angela joy