Black is a Rainbow Color by: Angela Joy
Published: January 14, 2020
Genre: Fiction, Children’s Literature
Audience: Elementary Grades K-5
Content Warnings: None
Summary: A girl looks at the colors in her crayon box and in a rainbow, and realizes there’s no black in rainbows. But her color is black, and she looks at what else is black: a feather in the snow, her best friend’s hair, her bicycle tires. From there, she moves to the black in Black culture: Thurgood Marshall’s robe, birds in cages that sing, raisins and dreams left out in the
sun to die. Finally, she moves on to the history, family, memory, and love that are all part of her and her community. “So you see, there is no black in rainbows. No black in green or blue. But in my box of crayons, Black is a rainbow, too.” Includes an author’s note; a playlist of 11 songs; two pages with further information on some of the allusions in the main text; 3 poems; a timeline of black ethnonyms (words that have been used to refer to Black people) over the course of American history; and a bibliography.
Review: Black Is a Rainbow Color is a powerful anthem that celebrates all things Black, the colorful and the cultural. The story takes us on a journey with a young girl who reflects on the meaning of being Black, which leads her to question, absorb, and share information about her culture. In the beginning of the book, the young girl helps readers associate the color black with objects that surround her. From the wheels of a bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a community that continues to grow and thrive. As the book continues, readers will notice that the color black resembles much more than a color, rather the culture from which she comes from and embraces. Themes of identity, history, culture, and activism are woven into the language and illustrations of this book, which are also heightened by the songs, poems, and a timeline of black ethnonyms. This book can be used across elementary grade levels for the purpose of exposing students to the rich history, people, and a legacy of black culture.
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