Coretta Scott King Award: Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton was written by Christopher Paul Curtis and was published in 2007. It received the Coretta Scott King Book Award. This being said, how did this book address diversity? Elijah, the book's main character, was the first free-born member of his family. Escaping the oppression of the pre-Emancipation Proclamation and pre-Civil War torn United States, Elijah's family escaped to an established free-black community in Buxton, Ontario, Canada. Early on, the book focused on normal events in Elijah's life--attending school, doing chores around the house, fishing, and playing with his friends. The book tells about Elijah's experiences growing up free in Buxton. Because he was born free, Elijah seems to take his freedom for granted and never really wants to understand how lucky he was. He is just beginning to understand what that means when a local and trusted preacher steals money that is being saved to purchase the freedom of others trapped in the U.S. While becoming a part of the mission to catch the preacher and return the funds to their rightful owners, Elijah crosses into the prejudice-ridden United States and learns first hand what he has to be thanful for.
Overall, this book addresses the idea of cultural diversity. It fictionally describes what it was like for an African American person to be living free in Canada after escaping from slavery in America--a point of view that isn't chronicled in many works of fiction. It also serves as a coming of age experience for the main character. Elijah's eyes are being opened to the horrors of American slavery. Through his experiences, readers learn firsthand what it would have been like to have been a freed slave returning to areas where slavery still existed during the dark ages of American history.