At Brazos Valley SCBWI, we are working to create an Equity and Inclusion team to help our membership better reflect the diversity of Texas and the Brazos Valley. If you are interested in joining our team, please email brazosvalley-ra @ scbwi.org . The Equity and Inclusion team will receive trainings and support from SCBWI HQ and SCBWI’s Equity and Inclusion officer, April Powers.

We invite you to check out SCBWI’s EI Resource Library here.

SCBWI Statement of Intent on Equity and Inclusion

At SCBWI, we recognize that publicly committing to equity and inclusion is crucial to our membership and the readers we serve. Words, stories, and images are powerful: They define who we are for ourselves and for others. Historically, content creation that reaches a wide audience of children and teens has been intertwined with a legacy of privilege, oppression, bias, and racism. We acknowledge that, as part of the children’s publishing industry, we share in that legacy.

We accept the challenge and responsibility of becoming agents of change by affirming the need for increased representation in every facet of the children’s and YA book industry, including but not limited to race/ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity (including gender expression), socioeconomic status, caste, geography, citizenship, body size, veteran status, and religion. To fulfill our mission of supporting the creation and availability of quality books for every young reader in all regions of the world, we commit to championing equity and inclusion throughout our organization by striving to:

–identify and dismantle inequities within our policies and practices

–expand inclusivity in our leadership, membership, and volunteer corps

–increase the social consciousness of our members through substantive learning opportunities

–continually examine and renew that commitment in our events, programming, online initiatives, publications, awards and grants, community outreach, and education efforts

As creators of books for children and teens, we have both a unique responsibility and a powerful opportunity to help young people create an equitable, inclusive world. We look forward to listening, learning, and leading. For more information, please click here.