ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

CHARNAIE GORDON is a diversity and inclusion expert, podcast host, and digital creator. She has authored, coauthored, and edited multiple books about diversity and inclusion. Charnaie serves as a member of the National Advisory Board for Reading Is Fundamental on its Race, Equity, and Inclusion (REI) initiative. Charnaie’s blog, Here Wee Read, is where she expresses her creativity and passion for reading, diverse literature, and literacy. In addition to her blog and social media, you can find Charnaie’s work at Brightly (http://readbrightly.com), where she is a contributing writer. She’s also the founder of the children’s literacy nonprofit organization 50 States 50 Books, Inc. (http://50states50books.net), which collects and donates diverse children’s books to deserving kids in each of the 50 US states. Find her online at hereweeread.com and @hereweeread on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

BRI JAMES comes from a long line of storytellers: musicians, preachers, visual artists, singers, academics, and orators. Her childhood was surrounded by the wondrous power of storytelling, and that has cemented a lifelong appreciation for sharing, listening, and learning. As a designer and storyteller, she brings over a decade of communications experience to her work. Her writing is grounded in ideas of humanity, interrogation, reflection, and authenticity, augmented by her background in communications design.