Bernette 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]

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

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
  • Cheryl Willis Hudson; Bernette G. Ford (1990). Bright Eyes, Brown Skin. Just Us Books. ISBN 9780590454162.
  • Bernette G. Ford (2003). Hurry Up!. Just for You! series. Fitzgerald Books. ISBN 9781424202195.
  • Bernette G. Ford (2008). No More Pacifier for Piggy!. Boxer Books. ISBN 9781905417896.

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. 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. Lyons, Kelly Starling (7 February 2010). "Bernette Ford". The Brown Bookshelf. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. Maughan, Shannon (29 June 2021). "Obituary: Bernette Ford". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  5. 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. Bonfiglio, Briana (16 July 2021). "Bernette Ford, Champion of Diversity in Children's Books, Dies At 70". LI Press. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. "Cartwheels". Black Issues Book Review. Fairfax. 1 (3): 14. May–June 1999.
  9. "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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