Day of Diversity: Extending the Dialogue, Encouraging the Action

Authors

  • Sarah Park Dahlen
  • Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/cal.13n3.23

Abstract

In January, we participated in ALSC and the Children’s Book Council’s ALA 2015 Midwinter preconference, Day of Diversity: Dialogue and Action in Children’s Literature and Programming in Chicago. The goal of the event was to bring together leaders in children’s literature and literacy to discuss strategies for ensuring that all children have access to diverse literature and library programming.

Author Biographies

Sarah Park Dahlen

Sarah Park Dahlen is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Library and Information Science Program at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. She teaches courses on children’s and young adult materials, children’s and young adult library services, storytelling, and social justice, and serves on the University of Minnesota Kerlan Friends Board and the WNDB Walter Award Committee. She co-edited Diversity in Youth Literature: Opening Doors Through Reading (ALA Editions, 2012) with Dr. Jamie Naidoo. Her next project examines race in the Harry Potter series. Reach her at sarahpark.com.

Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada

Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada is a Librarian at the Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Public Library. She currently serves the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association as Vice President/President-Elect and is the past chair of the “Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture” APA/AIAN family literacy program and serves as ALA Councilor-at-Large. She is a current member of the WNDB Walter Award Committee and past APALA Young Adult Literature Awards Chair.

References

Association for Library Service to Children, “Day of Diversity,” accessed April 24, 2015, dia.ala.org/dayofdiversity.

Jamie Campbell Naidoo, “The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and Material Collections for Children,” accessed 24 April 2015, www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/ALSCwhitepaper_importance%20of%20diversity_with%20graphics_FINAL.pdf.

Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Children’s Books By and About People of Color,” accessed May 22, 2015, https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/pcstats.asp.

Camila Alire, “From Broken Yolks to Party Folks: The Importance of Libraries and Literacy in Keeping Diversity Alive for Our Children.” Day of Diversity: Dialogue and Action.

La Casa Azul Bookstore, accessed April 25, 2015, www

.lacasaazulbookstore.com.

Zetta Elliott, “Black Authors and Self Publishing” in School Library Journal (March 16, 2015) for another perspective on the systemic issues with children’s book publishing, see www.slj.com/2015/03/diversity/black-authors-and-self-publishing.

Amy Koester, The Show Me Librarian, “Selection Is Privilege,” accessed April 24, 2015, http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/02/selection-is-privilege.html.

Malinda Lo, Diversity in YA: Puttin’ a Little Diversity in YA Since 2011, “Perceptions of Diversity in Book Reviews,” accessed April 24, 2015, www.diversityinya.com/2015/02/perceptions-of-diversity-in-book-reviews.

Jason Low, “The Diversity Baseline Survey,” Lee & Low, accessed May 22, 2015, www.leeandlow.com/about-us/the-diversity-baseline-survey.

Zetta Elliott, Zetta Elliott: Author Educator, “Power Surge,” accessed April 24, 2015, www.zettaelliott.com/power-surge/.

We Need Diverse Books Campaign, We Need Diverse Books Official Campaign Tumblr, accessed April 24, 2015, http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/post/83943947418/we-need-diverse-books-campaign.

Edith Campbell, Crazy QuiltEdi, “Rap It Up,” accessed April 24, 2015, https://campbele.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/rap-it-up.

Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children’s Literature, “Do Something Dramatic! AICL’s Recap of ALA’s Day of Diversity,” accessed April 24, 2015, http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

/02/do-something-dramatic-aicls-recap-of.html.

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Published

2015-08-31

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2015): Fall

Section

Features

License

In the event that an author's work is accepted for publication in CAL, the author is required to sign a copyright agreement with ALA/ALSC. For more information and/or to download the copyright forms, visit the ALA Publishing Web site.

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