You’ll never be as good as the white kids in their language
Wendy Wong
The work was commissioned by Dr Ian Cushing, as part of a UK Literacy Association funded project called ‘You’ll never be as good as the white kids in their language’: using literature to challenge language discrimination in schools.
The phrase ‘You’ll never be as good…’ comes from a 2018 Young Adult fiction novel Front Desk by the Chinese-American writer Kelly Yang, where a Chinese immigrant girl is stigmatised based on her language – mocked for her accent and ability to speak English.
The images produced were to be published in academic publications and used as part of a ‘toolkit’ that would be used to educate teachers and students about language discrimination, which has been shared with schools around the UK.
About the artist
is an illustrator, originally from Manchester, now based in London. She studied fashion textiles at the University of the Arts London, graduating with honours in 2014.
Her style is graphic and uses bold lines and bright colours. She often interprets adult themes, drawn in a childish yet charming way.
Inspired by awkward body shapes, cartoons and her own life experiences, Wendy’s illustrations could be described as silly, low-brow, sometimes irreverent but always full of joy, humour and positivity.