Page 41 - BEQ Magazine Iss 19

Big Voice
Big Voice

as a politician and now as a children’s book author. you can’t tell their gender,”
She is one of two Native American women serving she said. “There are plenty of
in Congress currently - Yvette Herrell (R-NM) is the characters where you would
other; Deb Haaland, who was elected in 2018 along have no way of making gender
with Davids, is now Secretary of the Interior. The assumptions and I loved that he
number of books about Native Americans makes took that approach.”
up a tiny percentage of the number of children’s As she writes in the book,
books published each year. Even fewer are written the Ho-Chunk Nation refer to
by Native Americans. themselves as “People of the Big
“It’s really important that voices that are Voice”. A descriptor Davids says
different than the other ones in the room are is accurate.
included,” Davids said. “I was blown away but not “I got in trouble a lot when I was in school for
surprised, if that makes sense, that only about talking too much,” she said, chuckling. “I still talk a
one percent of kids’ books have any kind of Native lot and it turns out that can be a positive skill set.”
American representation in them. So playing a “Kid Sharice”, as Davids refers to her younger
small part in helping someone [who doesn’t see book self, talks a lot. It’s one of her defining
themselves represented normally] see that, ‘Oh, my characteristics and the story shows how being WATCH
journey is unique and important,’ that’s a really cool curious about other people, how talking with people BEQTV
thing to do.” and listening to them talk, how using her big voice BEQ with Sharice Davids
It was important to Davids and the rest of the to talk about what she believes in carved her path to (Interview)
team at HarperCollins that her story be illustrated Congress.
by a Native American artist. She ultimately chose “That’s the crux of the book,” she said. “So
to work with Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, often when you’re a kid you feel invisible or small,
an Ojibwe Woodland artist known for his vibrant not heard or not seen. I hope this book can help a
color palettes and modern approach to native kid feel like their experience is validated and their
heritage. journey is important.”
“One of the things that I love about Joshua’s Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a
pictures is that some of the characters in the book Congresswoman is on sale now. 

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