A note from Mychal (he/him/his)
Representation Matters
I’m so excited for little Black boys and little Black girls to see Halle Bailey in THE LITTLE MERMAID. Books have long emphasized the importance of Black people portraying mermaids (or merfolk) because some phenomenal authors realize that a mermaid is a magnificent creature, and thus Black people would imagine themselves as as mermaids just as much as white people, as white children.
Black children have imaginations. Brown children have imaginations. They are thrilled that they get a chance to see Halle Bailey representing them. They are already so proud. The TikToks, videos of their reactions to her performance, are stunning. They are so proud to see her looking like them. I can’t wait for them to see the whole film!
What Can We Do Right Now?
Read books with Black, with brown mermaids — there are so many! Promote them! Talk about them! Don’t let people think for a moment that there are only white mermaids.
Visit your local library, visit your local bookstore, support them! THE LITTLE MERMAID is for everyone to enjoy. Mermaids are for all to embrace. All cultures should have the opportunity to embrace their culture, their background, through the joy of mermaids.
I’m so excited for all kids of color, all kids, to see Halle Bailey as Ariel. ♥️
In Solidarity,
Mychal
Mychal Threets (He/Him)
Mychal is the newest member of the Solidarity Team. We're thrilled to have him! He brings a wealth of experience in children's services as well as expertise in social media and web design. To top it all off he's an absolute delight. Welcome, Mychal! Thank you for joining us in Solidarity and for the many skills you are generously sharing with our team, our readers, and our little best friends.
The original post from Fidgets and Fries' Facebook:
I remember watching THE LITTLE MERMAID as a child. Me and my sister. We knew all the songs, memorized our favorite parts and acted them out often. We would splash in the tub like we were Ariel on that rock in the ocean.
Dark skinned girl singing loudly alongside a pale skinned mermaid, thinking I was her. You couldn’t tell us a thing, we WERE Ariel.
And she didn’t look like us at all. And that was the case for all our Princesses. We grew up with our favorite shows, cartoons, movies, stories, etc. being based on characters centered in everything that wasn’t us. From their cultures to their looks. We were worlds apart. And yet, we still loved them.
Today, much has changed but much still remains the same. We still fight for representation. We still long to see our culture, stories, and histories celebrated, loved, and cherished by not only us but everyone else too.
But we still sang those songs from lips that didn’t look like our own, copied dances from hips that didn’t sway like ours, wore colored wigs because their hair flowed in ways ours didn’t…
We loved on characters that weren’t us and we still loved them. Collecting dolls and stickers. Coloring books and costumes.
To see so many upset over a mermaid that looks like us when we have loved a mermaid for so long (and still do) that looked like them is heartbreaking but unsurprising.
To my young Black children coming up in a world that will tell you you are unworthy, pay them no mind. You are beautiful and you are worthy. Pack that theater in May.
Tiffany Hammond (She/Her) is an openly Autistic writer and the married mother of two sons with autism. We thank her for sharing her story and her beautiful words.
You can support her work and see more of her beautiful writing by following her on Facebook and Instagram where she blogs as Fidgets and Fries. If you’re able you can support Tiffany financially through her Patreon.
Updated: October 25, 2022: You can now pre-order Tiffany’s beautiful new picture book. The Solidarity Team was provided with an ARC and feel confident endorsing the book as one of the best picture books about Autism out there.
Book suggestions:
- OONA by Kelly DiPucchio and Raissa Figueroa.
- NEN AND THE LONELY FISHERMAN by Ian Eagleton and James Mayhew.
- CAN I GIVE YOU A SQUISH by Emily Neilson.
- THE OCEAN CALLS by Tina Cho and Jess X. Snow.
- MERMAID SCHOOL by JoAnne Stewart Wetzel and Julianna Swaney.
- MERMAID KENZIE: PROTECTOR OF THE DEEPS by Charlotte Watson Sherman and Geneva Bowers.
- THE LITTLE MERMAID by Hannah Eliot and Nivea Ortiz.
- MERBABY’S LULLABY by Jane Yolen and Elizabeth O. Dulemba.
- THE LITTLE MERMAID by Jerry Pinkney.
- GOOD NIGHT MERMAIDS by Adam Gamble, Mark Jasper and Suwin Chan.
- SUKEY AND THE MERMAID by Robert D. San Souci and Brian Pinkney.
- THAT’S NOT MY MERMAID… by Fiona Watt.
- BUBBLE KISSES by Vanessa Williams and Tara Nicole Whitaker.
- OONA AND THE SHARK by Kelly DiPucchio and Raissa Figueroa.
- A MERMAID GIRL by Sana Rafi and Olivia Aserr.
- THE ONLY MERMAID by Lisa Ann Scott.
- WHAT’S THE COMMOTION IN THE OCEAN by Nyasha Willams and Sof’ya Williams.
- GOODNIGHT MERMAID by Karla Oceanak and Allie Ogg.
- MERMAIDS ON PARADE by Melanie Hope Greenberg.
- JULIÁN IS A MERMAID by Jessica Love.
Storytime ideas
Songs / rhymes:
Check out The Lavender Librarian’s ‘Mermaid Swim Meet‘.
Check out The Lavender Librarian’s ‘Where Are Unicorns?‘
To see so many upset over a Mermaid that looks like us when we have loved a Mermaid for so long (and still do) that looked like them is heartbreaking but unsurprising.
We all need to hear this.
Find more of Tiffany’s writing here.
Beyond picture books:
Early chapter books:
- THE SUNKEN SHIP by Kyle Lukoff and Kat Uno.
- THE PRINCESS IN BLACK AND THE MERMAID PRINCESS by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and LeUyen Pham.
Middle grade:
- RISE OF THE JUMBIES by Tracey Baptiste.
- BAYOU MAGIC by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
- SORAYA AND THE MERMAID by Salima Alikhan and Atieh Sohrabi.
For teens:
- SKIN OF THE SEA by Natasha Bowen.
- A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow.
- THE MERMAID, THE WITCH, AND THE SEA by Maggie Tokuda-Hall.
For older teens / adults:
- THE DEEP by Rivers Solomon.
- MOTHER OF THE SEA by Zetta Elliott.
- THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH by Monique Roffey.
A note from Ms. Kate (she/they)
When I read Tiffany’s post about her experience as a young, dark skinned girl loving THE LITTLE MERMAID I knew I had to share it beyond my Facebook page. I was so grateful when she agreed to let us post here in Solidarity.
Representation Matters
All our little friends deserve to be represented. I’m so glad they’re finally getting to see themselves reflected as the beautiful children they always were.
I can’t imagine anything worse than finally seeing yourself, and then seeing adults working to rob you of that joy. Because some people’s joy disrupts the status quo.
Tiffany asks that we see the film, and I will; this is the first Disney remake that truly interests me and I look forward to seeing what looks like an interesting piece of media. Halle Bailey is incandescently gorgeous and her singing sounds amazing even to my trained ear.
But the film won’t come out until May 2023!
What Can We Do Right Now?
May I suggest Black mermaids — and other BIPOC mythological creatures — at Storytime? Read books by BIPOC creators that feature Black and brown characters in all settings.
Include a felt board: make mermaids and magical creatures from all shades of beautiful brown felt. Feel free to include the occasional peach or pale shade. For diversity’s sake.
But make sure that every child who’s never seen themselves as a beautiful mermaid finally gets to.
Beautiful boys and girls and genderless merfolk of every complexion. All children deserve to share in the magic. Especially the traditionally excluded.
Let’s make some magic together!
In Solidarity,
Kate
