The 2019 CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award Winners

From Children’s Book Council: The 2019 CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award Winners

The CBC Diversity Committee is proud to announce the winners of the 2^nd Annual CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Awards.

These awards are given annually to professionals or organizations in the children’s publishing industry who have made a significant impact on the publishing and marketing of diverse books, diversity in hiring and mentoring, and efforts that create greater awareness with the public about the importance of diverse voices.

The CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award Winners winners are:

Andrea Davis Pinkney, Vice President, Executive Editor of Scholastic Trade books

Named one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women in business and one of the 25 Most Influential People in Our Children’s Lives, Andrea Davis Pinkney is Vice President and Executive Editor at Scholastic. She is also the award-winning New York Times bestselling children’s book author. Andrea has been a strong advocate for diverse voices, a mentor to many publishing professionals, and a partner to the librarian community throughout her career. Andrea’s sustained passion for supporting and celebrating marginalized stories is an inspiration to many, and her efforts have helped pave the path for a new generation of creators and publishing professionals.

Namrata Tripathi, VP & Publisher, Kokila Books

Namrata Tripathi is the founder, VP & Publisher of Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers dedicated to centering stories from the margins. In addition to publishing critically acclaimed and bestselling books by diverse creators, including the 2019 Newbery honoree The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani, she has mentored fellow publishing professionals from marginalized groups throughout her career. Through her commitment to championing marginalized creators and colleagues, Namrata has made a lasting change to the industry.

The Brown Bookshelf

*(Top row, left to right) Paula Chase-Hyman, Varian Johnson, Kelly Starling Lyons*
(Middle row, left to right) Don Tate, Crystal Allen, Tameka Fryer Brown, Gwendolyn Hooks
(Bottom row, left to right) Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Tracey Baptiste, Jerry Craft)

Formed by Paula Chase and Varian Johnson in a collaboration with author Kelly Starling Lyons and award-winning illustrator, Don Tate, The Brown Bookshelf is a collaborative of ten Black children’s book authors and illustrators whose mission is to highlight the many Black voices writing for young readers.

The organization has helped raise awareness amongst parents, teachers, librarians, and booksellers about children’s books written and illustrated by Black children’s book creators through their 28 Days Later campaign, an annual, month-long showcase of the best works in the field. Members include Crystal Allen, Tracey Baptiste, Tameka Fryer Brown, Jerry Craft, Gwendolyn Hooks, and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich.

Read on for the complete list of The 2019 CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award Winners on Children’s Book Council.

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