‘Diversity advocacy proposal’ for district libraries

For “Cultural Competence for Librarians,” the class I am taking this month through Library Juice Academy, I was tasked this week with authoring a “diversity advocacy proposal” that would help my organization become more culturally competent. My proposal is that my school district purchase award-winning books each year for each of its school libraries.

There is a growing concern among California educators that while its people’s diverse backgrounds are “foundational” to California’s economy, “students of color do not see themselves fully represented in their school curriculum — and their peers do not learn the rich histories and contributions of these communities either” (Calleros, 2019, p. 1).

Students of Hispanic / Latino background, in particular (ages 20 and younger), are the largest ethnic group in California — having outnumbered whites for the first time in 2014 (EducationTrust-West, 2017, p. 3). But in spite of being the ethnic majority, “more than half of Latino students say they feel disconnected from their schools” (EducationTrust-West, 2017, p. 12).

“In the past, history and social science textbooks rarely acknowledged Latino contributions to history, referenced Latino individuals, or shared Latino perspectives. And only five percent of children’s books feature Latino characters” (ibid).

Santa Rosa City Schools recently created Ethnic Studies classes, “to provide a transformative education that empowers students to critically examine the contributions and experiences” of underserved communities (Ethnic Studies Committee, 2020, p. 7).

Along with this, I wish to propose an investment in library holdings to represent our diverse community, as well as to regularly purchase new and quality materials.

In arguing their importance, I wish to highlight this observation by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop: “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books” (Bishop, 1990/2015, p. 1).

Bishop cautions that “When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors” (ibid).

I propose that district Educational Services commit funding each year for a “standing order” to purchase winners and Honor Books of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards for each of the district’s school libraries.

Along with winners of the John Newbery and the Randolph Caldecott medals, I propose that the district purchase quality books that reflect diverse communities:

• American Indian Youth Literature Awards: Identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America; 
•  Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature: Honors and recognizes individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit; 
• Coretta Scott King Book Awards: Given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values; 
• Pura Belpré Award: Presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth; 
• Schneider Family Book Award: Honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences; and 
• Stonewall Book Award (Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award): Honors books for exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.

Under my proposal, the district librarian would choose books in consideration of the ages and grade ranges served at each school site. Library technicians would be encouraged to offer opinions and insights concerning their sites’ demographics and student interests.

The district librarian would make a conscious effort to choose books that are not merely “stories of oppression” but instead “include stories of joy and cultural wealth” (Ethnic Studies Committee, 2020, p. 6).

Because the books would be ordered through a central body, it is hoped that the district might enjoy a multiple-copy discount that would not be available if individual sites each purchased their books separately. It would also reduce inequalities between libraries in terms of available funding to invest in the library collection. And it would ensure a steady infusion of high-quality, current materials in each of our school libraries: books that affirm and celebrate our diverse populations while helping to illuminate common themes and experiences.

References:
Bishop, R.S. (2015). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Reading is Fundamental, Jan. 3, 2015. (Reprinted from “Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,” 1990, Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6 [3]). https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf

Calleros, R.C. (2019). Ethnic studies: School board member attitudes and recommendations for implementation. Governance brief. California School Boards Association. https://www.csba.org/-/media/CSBA/Files/GovernanceResources/GovernanceBriefs/201907_CSBA-Governance-Brief-Ethnic-Studies.ashx

EducationTrust-West. (2017). The majority report. https://west.edtrust.org/resource/the-majority-report/

Ethnic Studies Committee. (2020). Ethnic studies in Santa Rosa City Schools [PowerPoint presentation]. Santa Rosa City Schools board meeting, June 10, 2022.