For Black Historical past Month, CBS Saturday Morning co-host Michelle Miller interviewed kids’s guide illustrator Vashti Harrison for a section that was completely regular till the Miller’s addendum on the finish, the place she instructed a few of Harrison’s work is likely to be banned in Florida for merely having black characters.

Miller’s section targeted on two books, one in every of which was Huge authored by Harrison herself and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o that Harrison illustrated. Through the interview, Miller requested, “Do you see your books making an affect on the following technology?”

Harrison recalled the satisfaction of seeing a baby get pleasure from her books, “once I get to exit to colleges and chat with younger individuals, it feels actually particular for me when they choose up a guide, after they choose up one in every of my books, they’ve by no means seen it earlier than. They are saying, ‘That one’s me’ or ‘That one seems to be like me,’ that makes an enormous distinction as a result of I keep in mind that feeling.” 

It was Sulwe that Miller would declare is controversial. The guide describes itself thusly, “Sulwe has pores and skin the colour of midnight. She is darker than everybody in her household. She is darker than anybody in her college. Sulwe simply needs to be lovely and vivid, like her mom and sister. Then a magical journey within the evening sky opens her eyes and modifications every thing.”

If that appears uncontroversial, that’s as a result of it’s. Nonetheless, again stay in studio, Miller reported on:

An vital footnote to the story. Sulwe has been banned in some Florida colleges and is likely to be banned statewide below the Cease Woke Act. Harrison says it is disappointing and upsetting, however she’s going to proceed to work on tales with various characters. The truth that Sulwe, a character, looking for her identification and be okay with it can be banned as a result of she’s a black character, she simply could not consider it, however these are tales for everybody. 

Miller offered no proof that statewide ban is possible past merely asserting it. That is additionally the second Saturday in a row, CBS has had hassle with the state of books in Florida. Information studies on Sulwe bans heart on Duval County, which is similar county that noticed a substitute trainer fired for spreading misinformation concerning the state of college libraries and the manufactured Roberto Clemente controversy that was ginned up by political activists making an attempt to make a scene.

This section was sponsored by Colonial Penn.

Here’s a transcript for the February 25 present:

CBS Saturday Morning

2/25/2023

9:15 AM ET

MICHELLE MILLER: Tales Harrison hopes younger readers can discover consolation in. 

Do you see your books making an affect on the following technology? 

VASHTI HARRISON: I feel I can consider my work in summary phrases and realizing that that is vital, that it’ll attain individuals as a result of I understand how books affected me, however once I get to exit to colleges and chat with younger individuals, it feels actually particular for me when they choose up a guide, after they choose up one in every of my books, they’ve by no means seen it earlier than. They are saying, “That one’s me” or “That one seems to be like me,” that makes an enormous distinction as a result of I keep in mind that feeling. 

…

MILLER:  An vital footnote to the story. Sulwe has been banned in some Florida colleges and is likely to be banned statewide below the Cease Woke Act. Harrison says it is disappointing and upsetting, however she’s going to proceed to work on tales with various characters. The truth that Sulwe, a character, looking for her identification and be okay with it can be banned as a result of she’s a black character, she simply could not consider it, however these are tales for everybody. 

DANA JACOBSON: When she was describing Huge, I was like, I want that existed once I was a child. I like that story. 

JEFF GLOR: Love the vibrancy of the work. Simply jumps off the web page.