Bringing Caribbean folklore to young readers

A richly adorned seafloor in The Bahamas, a country in the Caribbean island region. Tracey grew up listening to stories anchored in Caribbean folklore · Cristina Mittermeier

“The ocean is ever-changing and yet predictably cyclical,” she says. “It represents adventure and familiarity, hope and incredible danger. If that isn't a description of human nature, I don't know what is.”

For the second book in her series, “Rise of the Jumbies,” Tracey set the story deep in the ocean

“I couldn't really talk about Black people living on a Caribbean island without addressing how they had gotten there, and it seemed an obvious choice to lay this at the feet (or fins) of the mermaids,” she explains. “They were the perfect vessel for sharing that very painful history, because they could carry it beautifully.”

Exploring a shipwreck on the bottom of the Caribbean Sea · Cristina Mittermeier

The characters in Tracey’s book “Rise of the Jumbies” find an underwater shipwreck, where the mermaids with whom they are traveling recall their painful history as slaves · Cristina Mittermeier

Tracey uses her mythological creatures as tools to explore the history of slavery in a way that is both understandable and meaningful to younger audiences · Cristina Mittermeier

Contributors

Kristy Drutman

Founder of Brown Girl Green

Kristy Drutman is a Filipina environmental media creator and the founder of Brown Girl Green, a media platform exploring the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism. As a sustainability communications expert, Kristy has spoken in front of thousands and facilitated workshops centered on environmental media and storytelling in cities across the United States. She has also worked with youth from around the world to create collaborative, intersectional online media with the goal of creating conscious, culturally relevant content to engage audiences about proactive solutions to the climate crisis.

Meet Black ocean leaders

Contributors

Meet Black ocean leaders

Reconnecting Afro-Caribbean people with marine conservation

Keeping Bermudian divers diving

Advocating for diversity and inclusion in the surfing community

Restoring our oceans, preserving Black heritage