about a young girl's strength and commitment to social justice. These
are just a few of the many texts available.

We need to be aware that even though there is more multiethnic and
multicultural literature being published, the quality of the literature for
different ethnic groups, white included, may be questionable. Some of
these texts are permeated with notions of patriarchy, colonialism, sex-
ism, and racism. Therefore, we need to take up these books critically.
What this means is that much of what is constituted as accepted knowl-
edge must be analyzed for the exclusions, repressions, and privileges
that often go unacknowledged in the language of educators in the class-
room. This does not mean that we deny children the actual pleasures of
play and enjoyment; rather, by historicizing culture and problematizing
knowledge, we provide them with the opportunity to understand diver-
sity and cultural difference represented in the past and present.

Finally, we have a responsibility to increase our knowledge of the dis-
tant and recent past in an attempt to generate insights into the condi-
tions and multiple identities and ideologies that existed. We need to see
beyond a single representation of fact and provide learning opportuni-
ties for students to engage in multiple references that compose different
cultural experiences, codes, and languages.

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