Book Connections & Intersections. Becoming an Anti-Racist Librarian

by Sylvia M. Vardell, October 2020

In a recent keynote for the Texas Library Association, Jason Reynolds, award-winning author and the 2020-2021 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, observed, "Librarians are the rebels of the school. They realize that everything belongs on the shelf, even if they don't agree with it.…I would argue that librarians are working as anti-racists. It's embedded into who you are as librarians." Let's take up this challenge and see what we can do to make our whole library anti-racist and as inclusive and welcoming as it can be. My BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) colleagues know more about this than I ever will, but for those of you who are learning like me, how do we begin?

More than twenty years ago, Rudine Sims Bishop was one of the first to address the importance of seeking out literature from diverse perspectives. She wrote, "Students who do not see any reflections of themselves or who see only distorted or comical ones come to understand that they have little value in society in general and in school in particular.…Literature can contribute to the development of self-esteem by holding up to its readers images of themselves" (Bridges 1997, p. 63). She wrote about the idea of "mirrors" and "windows" in sharing books with kids. When we read a book that reflects our own culture and experiences, we have a "mirror" that helps us see ourselves and our people as valued. When we read about cultures and experiences outside our own, books are "windows" into other ways of being and behaving. Both are essential to growing up as well-rounded, well-read citizens. Building a collection with plenty of "mirrors and windows" is a part of our activism as anti-racists, as educators who actively work against the insidious power of racism. But what else can we do? Fortunately, there are many resources available for educating ourselves about what "anti-racist" means, particularly for uplifting Black voices. Here are a few that I have found very meaningful and helpful in recent months.

To deepen your perspective, watch a video discussion with Jason Reynolds and historian Ibram X. Kendi, who collaborated on the powerful, "must-read" book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, as part of School Library Journal's recent "Day of Dialog" (https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=jason-reynolds-ibram-kendi-in-conversation-slj-day-of-dialog-2020-antiracism). Or if you prefer to read a discussion between them, check out the Booklist Reader "Shelf Care" interview (https://www.booklistreader.com/2020/03/16/books-and-authors/the-shelf-care-interview-ibram-x-kendi-and-jason-reynolds/). Jason says, "Let's all get inside the cage and wrestle around with the lion that is racism. And I think in order to do that, you've got to make it eye level."

The Justice in June project (https://justiceinjune.org) is an amazing resource that offers a step-by-step study plan for growing your own anti-racist understanding. Two young women who were college roommates, Bryanna Wallace and Autumn Gupta, turned their friendship and Autumn's efforts to understand and support her Black friend, Bryanna, into a major learning initiative. With their entry level "10 minutes a day" plan, you read a little, listen to a podcast, watch a TED talk, and consider some steps of action every day. They also offer a "25 minutes a day" plan and "45 minutes a day" plan, if you want to dig more deeply. What an opportunity to learn with a colleague, team, or on your own. It's a highly structured plan that appeals to our organized librarian sensibility!

There are many other resources to consult, including two recent articles that offer excellent insights. Kegla Magoon gives us a look at how to "diversify the canon" in her powerful article for Horn Book Magazine, "Our Modern Minstrelsy" (https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=our-modern-minstrelsy). Marva Hinton considers, "Little House, Big Problem: What to Do with 'Classic' Books that Are also Racist" in School Library Journal, (https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=Little-House-Big-Problem-Little-House-Big-Problem-What-To-Do-with-Classic-Books-That-Are-Also-Racist) clarifying the issues of stereotypes and problematic language and raising issues of curation vs. censorship, particularly as we weed books out of the collection.

Blogs and social media outlets can also be a source of learning for us as educators. Read the perceptive posts of professional Indigenous, Black, and colleagues of color who work in education and are sharing their unique experiences one day at a time "31 Days IBPOC" (https://31daysibpoc.wordpress.com). And, on Instagram, check out "From Privilege to Progress" (https://www.instagram.com/privtoprog/) and their reading recommendations and concrete suggestions for speaking up with "racism interrupters."

Finally, do not miss the Brown Bookshelf, an ALA "Great Website for Kids," and a resource designed to "push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers (https://thebrownbookshelf.com)." Since 2008, their "28 Days Later" initiative has offered curated book recommendations of the best "new and unnoticed works by African-Americans" for young people. Their social media presence is also extremely informative with regular posts about books, authors, videos, and festivals that highlight Black voices. Did you view their #KidLit4BlackLives town hall on "How to Raise and Teach Anti-Racist Kids" hosted by Kwame Alexander and sponsored by the International Literacy Association and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators? View the archived recording on YouTube for an inspiring panel of voices and perspectives (https://youtu.be/IXOMGkiQ_8I).

Then, we can start looking closely at our library collections in light of our own professional development. We can be self-critical about our choices and do better in becoming allies for our Black students and in improving our anti-racist practices. In his recent acceptance speech for the Coretta Scott King medal, Jerry Craft noted that reading "mirrors" gave him strength to see himself reflected in literature and to create more of the same. How are we helping our young people to see themselves in the books and materials we provide?

Work Cited

Bridges, Elizabeth Smith. "Reflections and Visions: An Interview with Rudine Sims Bishop." Journal of Children's Literature 23, no. 10 (1997): 62-65.