Earlier this week, Barnes & Noble and Penguin Random House announced the impending release of a project in honor of Black History Month. And just as quickly as they released the project, they canceled it due to massive online backlash. Titled “Diverse Editions,” the initiative aimed to increase engagement in “classic” books like Peter Pan, Frankenstein, Moby Dick, and Alice in Wonderland by releasing covers that reimagined characters as Black people and people of color. Although this may have seemed like an honest effort to promote diversity, in reality, the project was misguided and harmful. These so-called “diverse” covers didn’t highlight Black Black stories, but instead pasted Black faces on top of stories that remain overwhelmingly white and undeniably racist.

Putting the face of a person of color on the covers white stories is not real inclusion. Instead, it sends a dangerous message to people all over the world that white stories are more acceptable, more valuable, and more worthwhile than Black stories. It also sets a harmful precedent that it’s okay for companies to take advantage of Black faces and diversity trends to increase their profit margins.

Join us in calling on Barnes & Noble and Penguin Random House to promote Black authors and Black stories.

Here is the Petition:

Barnes & Noble and Penguin Random House: 

Books have a great deal of power. Books help children and adults alike understand themselves and their history, embrace their identity and culture, and internalize positive representations of themselves. But when books are not representative of our communities, we lose out on powerful stories that can help us imagine and accomplish our greatest dreams.

It is because of books' enormous power, that we are deeply disappointed in your "Diverse Editions" initiative. Instead of using Black History Month as an opportunity to prominently feature Black authors and Black stories, you chose to paste "diverse" faces atop stories that remain overwhelmingly white and undeniably racist. This is not what inclusion looks like. Real inclusion helps people better understand themselves and their history, embrace their identity and culture, and internalize positive representations of themselves.

To rectify the impact this harmful "Diverse Editions" initiative has had, we demand that you use your power and your platform to promote Black stories and books written by Black authors. We also demand that you make changes at the executive leadership level at each of your companies to ensure that Black leaders are a part of the decision-making processes that result in major initiatives like this one.