228: Bellen Woodard brings the perspective we need

In this conversation, Tricia Friedman speaks with Bellen Woodard, the first crayon activist, about her journey in leadership, the importance of young voices, and her new book 'Ballet Brown'. Bellen shares her experiences of advocating for inclusive language in schools and ballet, emphasizing the need for empathy and community building. She encourages young people to trust themselves and their perspectives, while also discussing the evolution of traditions in ballet. BALLET BROWN is a heartwarming, inspirational story about authenticity and the richness that brings! Recently featured in TIME Magazine, her op-ed “You’ve Heard of Ballet Pink. It’s Time to Embrace Ballet Brown,” reflects on how Bellen questioned the longstanding default in ballet attire, much like her early experiences with “flesh” crayons being only available in peach. After realizing what was missing, Bellen created Bellen’s More Than Peach Project followed by her More than Peach crayons and picture book More than Peach to challenge these norms and broaden the visual language of color across multiple spaces. Her latest endeavor asks a simple, powerful question of the ballet world: Why is everything pink? In BALLET BROWN, Bellen decides to ditch the pink dance attire and instead embrace brown dance attire that better suits her skin tone. She finds a dance studio who is supportive of this change, because though ballet pink is tradition, Bellen believes that traditions are meant to grow as we do! And she names the change “ballet brown.” Learn more: https://www.scholastic.ca/our-books/book/ballet-brown-bellen-woodard-original-picture-book-2-9781546134077 Connect with Tricia at DiverseED: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leading-diversity-equity-inclusion-belonging-in-schools-conference-25-tickets-931785885667