In Search of Faith Ringgold's Picture Books

Abstract

Abstract:Faith Ringgold exemplifies Black female creative expression. Drawing upon her own experience as a Black woman artist in America as well as the quiltmaking tradition, marked with resistance and protest, she produced picture books which are counterstories to the existing narratives of Black life. The article demonstrates how Ring-gold's stories foster resistance and resilience by featuring children exercizing agency, as well as offering "counter" images. It provides examples of how the narratives acknowledge Black pain while accentuating Black joy. It focuses on the characters' subversive strategies such as flying or secrecy. The article ends with the conclusion that Ringgold challenges ideas about who counts as a children's writer as well as what kinds of cultural work picture books do.