Barnes & Noble faces criticism over black history month covers

Barnes & Noble is being criticized after its attempt to celebrate Black History Month. And many are calling the move racist and misguided. The move, announced at the beginning of February, involved releasing its "Diverse Editions" of 12 classic novels, . Each "Diverse Edition" novel was remade with “new covers promoting diversity,” according to Publisher’s Weekly. For example, there’s a cover of "Romeo & Juliet" that features mixed-race couples kissing in the cover art. The artwork quickly garnered several negative reactions on social media. Many users noted that the campaign was simply adding “diverse” faces to largely white stories. rather than promoting books by Black authors . The "Diverse Edition" books will be available at Barnes & Noble’s Fifth Avenue location in New York City. Customers can also reportedly download the covers for free online