Have others been wondering what to listen to, where to go, action steps, to ensure their work as literacy champions tends to windows and mirrors?
I was so grateful for Grace Lin's recent post and her push for our community:
You don't have to use my books. But please use something, anything that reminds your kids, your family and yourself that Asians and ALL those marginalized are humans. And, please, do it everyday.
Windows and mirrors.
Thank you, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop for this language. Tending to windows and mirrors is one of my literacy social justice commitments, but I have so much work to do.
* What librarians am I intersecting with? I didn't know until last week that there is an Asian/ Pacific American Librarians Association, and that their annual book awards can now be added to my annual book budget.
* What is in my feed? Yes, Grace Lin. But one author? C'mon, Lisa, you can do better. I added Gene Yang, Kelly Yang and Samira Ahmed - all writers I read, but weren't following closely enough, learning from. Who else should I add?
* More learning/reading/listening. In May 2019 and 2020, these essays helped push my thinking in such important ways. I need to return to them. Read more closely. Follow-up with my OWN work. Share them with others, too; there have been opportunities to listen to AAPI literacy voices, but I have not done the work - yet. https://31daysibpoc.wordpress.com/
* THEN: Make change. Be vigilant (my friend and mentor reminds me of this every time we talk). Ask for feedback. Keep learning, keep growing. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
It is not a one and done. It us years to learn and inhabit a white supremace culture it will take years to unlearn and relearn. I think shifting what you read, watch, and listen to also makes a difference. Shifting our daily interactions will the sphere of people in our lives. https://31daysibpoc.wordpress.com/ is awesome - there are two years worth now and it should be coming up again soon. I curated some free virtual texts if you are looking for some other titles https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cj4Q4jkT8D6XrSXDutn9IIzsv0EDzWTLrrDs_FAFUmA/edit?usp=sharing These are based on a list curated by Jillian Heise.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Clare. The library work you've been doing is such a powerful resource. I have been posting add'l actions on my Facebook page, and included Jillian's list there. So grateful for you BOTH.
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