Debbie Reese

Dr.
Debbie Reese
Reese stands behind a podium and is speaking into a microphone. She has dark hair pulled back from her face, medium brown skin, glasses, and is wearing a blue jacket over a black shirt, and turquoise and red beaded necklaces.
Reese at 2016 Association of Children's Librarians Institute
Born
Debbie Yates

Santa Fe, New Mexico
CitizenshipNambé Pueblo, United States of America
OccupationsScholar, educator, activist
Known forAdvocacy for Children's Literature Reform, American Indians in Children's Literature Blog
Notable workAn Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People (2019)
Websitehttps://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

Debbie Reese is a Nambé Pueblo scholar, advocate, and educator. Reese founded American Indians in Children's Literature, which analyzes representations of Native and Indigenous peoples in children's literature. She co-edited a young adult adaptation of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States with Jean Mendoza in 2019.

Early life and education

Reese was born and raised on the Nambé Pueblo reservation in New Mexico. She is also tribally enrolled at Nambe.

She attended the University of New Mexico, where she received a B.A. in education. She received a PhD in education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She later received her MLIS from San Jose State University through a grant that funded 20 Native students to complete the degree.

Career

Prior to obtaining her PhD, she was a school teacher and taught at two American elementary schools, and at two schools for Native Americans: Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, Oklahoma, and Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She previously taught in American Indian Studies at University of Illinois.

In 2006, Reese founded American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL), an organization and website that offers critical analysis of Native and Indigenous peoples in children's literature. She frequently discusses the inaccuracy of depictions of Natives in classic American children's literature like Peter Pan and Little House on the Prairie series, and suggests that they promote harmful stereotypes about Native people or lead readers to believe that Native people no longer exist. She was one of the key voices responsible for the successful campaign to rename the American Library Association's highest award for authors of children's books from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal into the Children's Literature Legacy Award.

Her scholarship and advocacy has been instrumental in the transformation of representation of Native Americans in children's literature. Reese's work has promoted Native authors, particularly those who tell stories from their own lives and communities. Reese advocates for teachers and parents to select books written for and by Native Americans as the best way to engage their narratives. She has repeatedly spoken against the previously commonplace publication of Native stories by non-Native writers from the "big five" publishers. Reese was one of several writers who spoke out against the publication of children's book A Birthday Cake for George Washington and used AICL to track the publisher's response to the campaign.

In 2019, she and Jean Mendoza co-wrote An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People, based on An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States. The book was named a 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Young Adult Honor Book.

She is an outspoken opponent of the Trump-era book-bans that target stories featuring diverse identities or that depict the violence of American colonialism.

Personal life

Reese lives in California. She is married and has one daughter.

Works

Accolades

For An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People:

References

  1. ↑ "'Let go of your childhood favorites': Educator speaks on harmful Native American stereotypes". Chalkbeat. 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
  2. 1 2 Chow, Kat (25 June 2018). "Little House On The Controversy: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Name Removed From Book Award". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  3. ↑ Zotigh, Dennis W.; Gokey, Renee. "Indigenous Peoples' Day: Rethinking How We Celebrate American History". www.smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Reese, D.; Angton, A. (2020). "An Interview with Debbie Reese". Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis. 9. doi:10.31274/jctp.11237.
  5. 1 2 3 4 ""We Are Still Here": An Interview with Debbie Reese" (PDF). English Journal. 106 (1): 51–52. 2016. doi:10.58680/ej201628735.
  6. 1 2 Strauss, Valerie (2019-11-27). "How NOT to teach Thanksgiving". The Washington Post.
  7. 1 2 3 Lewis, Kate (2018-10-29). "Many classic children's books have troubling themes or language. Should we read them anyway?". The Washington Post.
  8. ↑ Alexandra Alter (2020-08-14). "'We've Already Survived an Apocalypse': Indigenous Writers Are Changing Sci-Fi". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  9. ↑ Menkart, Deborah (2016-01-18). "Under Pressure, Scholastic Recalls Racist Children's Book". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  10. 1 2 "AILA announces 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Awards". News and Press Center. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  11. ↑ Reese, Debbie. "Killing the Indians in 2023: Book Banning Seeks to Erase Native Americans | Opinion". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
  12. ↑ "Debbie Reese | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  13. ↑ Narducci, Vincent (2023-06-04). "Class Notes - Spring 2023 | Mirage Magazine". Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  14. ↑ "Best YA Nonfiction of 2019". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  15. ↑ Willoughby, Miriam DesHarnais, Heidi Grange, Kacy Helwick, Elizabeth Lovsin, Vanessa. "Best Nonfiction 2019 | SLJ Best Books". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2020-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Parrott, Kiera (2020-02-12). ""In the Margins" Committee Announces 2020 Book Awards Honoring Marginalized & BIPOC Youth". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-01-31.