Being an Ally: World Book Day 2023
About this ebook
As an ally you use your power - no matter how big or small - to support others. You learn, and try, and mess up, and try harder. In this collection of true stories, 7 critically acclaimed and bestselling YA authors get real about being an ally, needing an ally, and showing up for friends and strangers.
These authors share their truths. They invite you to think about your own experiences and choices and how to be a better ally.
There are no easy answers, but this book helps you ask better questions. Because we're all in this together. And we all need allies.
About the author
Derick Brooks (he/him) is based in Richmond, Virginia and loves to create adventurous stories about Black folk. He lives with his wife and pets, and really loves potatoes.
NAOMI EVANS (pronouns: she/her) is a 37-year-old Head of Drama at a secondary school in the South East of England, an anti-racist educator, speaker and writer. She has been a teacher since completing her PGCE at the London Institute of Education in 2005 and has a wealth of experience in training and leadership within the education system. She co-founded Everyday Racism in 2020 with her sister, Natalie. Naomi is of Black Jamaican and White British heritage and has experienced racism both overtly and covertly throughout her life. She is working to influence change in education to ensure the curriculum is not just taught through a white lens. She is also interested in the representation of parenthood in the UK since becoming a mother herself. She has been married for 10 years and is the mother of two young children.
NATALIE EVANS (pronouns: she/her) is a 31-year-old Events Manager, an anti-racist educator, speaker and writer from Kent. She has managed various festivals and is currently the Events Manager for a new youth festival, which will launch in 2021. Natalie is of Black Jamaican and White British heritage and has experienced racism both overtly and covertly throughout her life. She grew up in white majority town before moving to Brighton in 2015. She has recently moved back to her hometown and reflected on her experiences of racism both growing up and in her workplace. She co-founded Everyday Racism in May 2020 with her sister Naomi, after a video of her confronting two men racially abusing a ticket conductor went viral on twitter.
