tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post887344015106175708..comments2024-01-13T21:31:23.388-05:00Comments on Reading While White: Seizing the NarrativeReading While Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807138877345669931noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9160636034192691079.post-58199038708664107182019-04-18T18:03:23.235-04:002019-04-18T18:03:23.235-04:00I am so happy to be a librarian right now. One of ...I am so happy to be a librarian right now. One of my very first times at an ALA conference I got up in a session and went to the microphone and asked questions of the presentation. Debbie had emailed me before ALA making me aware of a presentation that I should attend. It was from a publishing group claiming it was presenting diverse books to children. I asked many questions to the presenters. They had few answers for me. Then after the session an African American elder stood up and thanked me for my questions. She had been speaking out her whole career as a librarian. She was tired of the publishers not listening. This was a a life changing moment for me. I felt empowered and determined to speak up and speak up loud for children. I joined the American Indian Youth Literature Awards committee and did all I could to help bring change to the YMAs. I am so grateful to Nina and others who listened and helped me navigate the world of ALA and made it possible for AILA and other affiliates to be part of the YMAs in 2020. 2019 is AILA's 40th year as an organization, but the CSK award is celebrating 50 years as an award! I am so thrilled and thankful for the elders and librarians that came before me so that my generation could come into this profession with mentors, leadership opportunities, and so many children's books and awards that have meaningful impact. I know these new books from Native authors have impact because when I read them to my son he listens and he points to all the brown skinned characters with black hair and says mom or grandma!!!! It's the best feeling in the world. It's the most joy I have ever experienced in my life reading to a child and they see themselves in the story. Also these stories are real representations because they are from Native authors and the stories they write are part of my own narrative. They are stories that when I do a critical analysis of the book, they get the gold or silver sticker on the cover from AILA. They are stories that mean more to me as a mom than any other stories because they are giving voice and illustrations that are so beautiful they make you cry. I hope more publishers hear the cries from Mom's like me raising small kids and the cries from teachers and librarians of color that want their kids represented by own voices in their classrooms and libraries. American Indian Youth Literature has been around a long long time before there were even books, but there were grandparents and parents that told stories. I often think about all the stories my grandparents told me. Now they are not here with me, but those stories still are with me.NBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10808827712679176503noreply@blogger.com