Bernette Ford
Born(1950-06-30)June 30, 1950
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 2021(2021-06-20) (aged 70)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, editor, publisher
EducationConnecticut College (BA)
SpouseGeorge Ford

Bernette Ford (June 30, 1950 – June 20, 2021) was an American author, editor and publisher. She worked as editor-in-chief at Grosset & Dunlap and later Scholastic Books, where she was vice-president of the Cartwheel imprint, which she helped launch. She was known for being one of the few African-American editors working with children's books, having begun her career in the 1970s.[1]

Early life and education

Bernette Ford was born on June 30, 1950, in Brooklyn. She was the daughter of Morton, a white factory worker, and Martha Goldsen, a black actress, music teacher, singer and seamstress. She grew up in Uniondale, Long Island.[2][3] Ford graduated in 1972 from Connecticut College.[4] She was encouraged by family and friends to become a writer, but due to her lack of knowledge with the profession, Ford instead pursued the publishing career as "a way to get a foot in the door".[3]

Career

In the same year she graduated, Ford joined Random House's division of children's books as "editorial assistant in training", as part of their "minorities recruitment program."[4] Ford remained in that position for the first two years there.[5] Around 1975, she met Valerie Flournoy, Phyllis Fogelman and Tom Feelings, who created a workshop "for the few people of color working in publishing in the mid-1970s."[4] They eventually founded a group called Black Creators for Children,[5] which would assist African American authors in creating new works by following a set of philosophies.[6] She met her husband, George Ford, during a meeting with this group.[4]

After seven years working for Random House, Ford was hired by Western Publishing to work as senior editor of their children's books imprint, Golden Books.[4][7] In 1983, she moved to Grosset & Dunlap to work as editor-in-chief, and was then promoted to publisher. During her six years there, Ford worked on expanding The Little Engine That Could property.[4] In 1989 she began working with Scholastic Books and helped the company launch their new imprint, Cartwheel Books.[7] Ford was the vice-president and editorial director of the imprint, and was responsible for starting the I Spy and the Little Bill series, the latter authored by Bill Cosby.[8]

While Ford was working for Scholastic, a friend and co-founder of Just Us Books, Cheryl Willis Hudson, contacted her wanting to turn a poem she had written into a children's book aimed for black children.[9] Bernette decided to turn the poem into a children's picture book instead, which was then illustrated by George. This was the first time she collaborated as a coauthor.[8][9]

Ford worked with Scholastic until 2002,[10] when she decided to leave to found her own company in 2003, a book packaging business called Color-Bridge Books. The company's first job was the production of a new series for beginner readers, called Just for You!.[11] All the books were illustrated and written by people of color.[5]

Personal life and death

Bernette was married to George Ford. She died of lung cancer on June 20, 2021, at her house in Brooklyn.[2]

Selected works

References

  1. ^ Dianne, Johnson (2009). "African American Women Writers Of Children's And Young Adult Literature". In Angelyn, Mitchell (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to African American Women's Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 210–223.
  2. ^ a b Genzlinger, Neil (14 July 2021). "Bernette Ford, Who Made Children's Books More Diverse, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Lyons, Kelly Starling (7 February 2010). "Bernette Ford". The Brown Bookshelf. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Maughan, Shannon (29 June 2021). "Obituary: Bernette Ford". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Sutton, Roger (28 May 2019). "An Interview with George and Bernette Ford". The Horn Book. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  6. ^ Johnson-Feelings, Dianne (11 June 2019). "Black Creators for Children". The Horn Book. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b Bonfiglio, Briana (16 July 2021). "Bernette Ford, Champion of Diversity in Children's Books, Dies At 70". LI Press. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Cartwheels". Black Issues Book Review. Fairfax. 1 (3): 14. May–June 1999.
  9. ^ a b "Bright Eyes Brown Skin". Cheryl Willis Hudson's Blog. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. ^ Rust, Suzanne (September–October 2004). "Let Every Child Relate". Black Issues Book Review. Fairfax. 6 (5): 58.
  11. ^ Gilton, Donna L. (2020). Multicultural and Ethnic Children's Literature in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-5381-3841-0.
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