by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson
founders,
Just Us Books
Thirty-five years ago, we sat at our dinner table
contemplating starting our own children’s book publishing company. We had
already self-published two books, the AFRO-BETS ABC Book and the AFRO-BETS
123 Book and our success with them in the marketplace prompted a serious discussion.
Should we strike out and expand our venture to publish works by other Black
book creators?
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Wade and Cheryl Hudson present the AFRO-BETS Kids at the
Portsmouth, VA Public Library to an audience that includes their son Stephan in 1987. |
There was clearly a need. There were few books for
children and young adults that featured Black characters and that drew from
Black history, culture and experiences. And we knew there was a demand. We had
had trouble finding for our two children, books that featured characters who
looked like them and stories that reflected their experiences and heritage. We
knew other Black parents and teachers faced the same difficulty.
It wasn’t a long discussion. We decided to step out on
faith just as our ancestors had done before us. Just Us Books was born. We chose that name
because, simply, it was just the two of us.
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| The Just Us Books staff poses for a photo in 1992 |
Much has changed over these 35 years. We entered an industry in the 80s when only a handful of Black book creators were widely recognized such as Virginia Hamilton, Tom Feelings, Mildred Taylor, Walter Dean Myers, Eloise Greenfield, George Ford and James Haskins. Black editors, art directors and marketing professionals were few and far between. There were very few in-person book tours by children’s book authors or illustrators and making a national best-sellers list like the New York Times was a far-off dream.
Over time, however, we
have seen more Black and other book creators of color enter the industry. There
has been an uptick in the number of BIPOC people in publishing positions. Black
and book creators of color have won major industry awards and the bestseller
lists are no longer nearly all white. We would like to think that Just Us Books
has played a role in helping to achieve this progress.
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| Dr. Loretta Long reads her book Courtney's Birthday Party at a school visit |
But so many challenges
still remain. Books by Black creators are still a small
percentage of the total number published every year. There is still a
disparity in advances and royalties paid to Black and BIPOC authors and
illustrators versus what’s paid to those who are white. Nearly 80
percent of the publishing companies staff are white. Most books by BIPOC
authors and illustrators are not marketed as vigorously as those of white
authors and illustrators. The myth
that books by Black creators don’t sell is still a major barrier. And most recently, book banning, and the
closing of school libraries have added to the list of challenges as efforts to
undo the progress that has been made intensify.
We face these issues as
we have done in the past. With resolve. Advocating and agitating for inclusion,
diversity and equity ─ and doing the important work of sharing good stories that
reflect a full range of experiences that center Black children, children of
color and others who are marginalized. That same determination still drives us even
as we must prepare to pass the baton to the next generations. We will do so
assured that the struggle to create an industry and a world that is more just and
equitable will continue.
Just Us Books’ 35 years
have been quite a journey. As with any business endeavor, there have been
periods of exciting milestones, disappointments, economic challenges, and many
peaks and valleys. We have seen far too many other publishing ventures close
their doors. Thankfully, as the Langston Hughes declared in his 1957 poem,
we’re “Still Here.”
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A parent reads the AFRO-BETS A B C Book to their child,
decades after the title's initial publication |
We are so grateful to the many Just Us Books authors, illustrators, publishing industry professionals and dedicated Just Us Books staff members who have partnered with us on this journey. We appreciate all the parents, teachers, administrators, librarians, booksellers, young readers, and other supporters who have been such an important part of this history too. In so many ways, we are all like family. There would be no Just Us Books, and certainly no 35 years, without you.
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Wade and Cheryl Hudson celebrate the publication of
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with contributors and
author and illustrator friends at the Celebrating Our Voices event
held at North Carolina Central University. |
And so, we’re still here and we continue, embracing the journey ahead. Creating good books that make a difference in the lives of children everywhere.
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| Just Us Books founders Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson |
