Kathy Ishizuka

The 25.8 response rate is actually a bit high for an online survey, as Jason Low indicates in the blog post announcing the results. Indeed, Christie, one can only wonder about the actual picture if a greater percentage had responded. The post also speculates about the potential effect of self-selection in this survey.

Posted : Jan 28, 2016 08:17

Sun Yung Shin

Kathy, Those who have long been underrepresented and misrepresented (stereotyped, dehumanized, erased, lied about) understand that "a good job" in literary production and distribution means seeing all cultural production as inherently related to issues of real power and cultural visibility. When children of color in the U.S. do not see themselves, their families, their neighborhoods (because the U.S. is highly segregated) in the literature of their society, it tells them that they don't matter, that their stories are not interesting or valuable. That they are not beautiful. That their struggles have nothing to teach other people. Also, if we truly want to help children become "global citizens," as those in American education culture often do, we also need to think about literature in terms of the fact that people "of color" are the majority on the planet, and that much of the riches of the so-called Western/Northern world was extracted through colonialism and slavery from the global South and from lands where people had been living continuously for thousands of years. Colonialism redrew boundaries to suit the colonizing economy and when those regions achieved political independence, civil wars and militarization often ensued because of the creation of a collaborator class that gained power under the colonizers. Colonizers imposed extractive mono-economies on regions, destroying indigenous ways of life and their sustainable economies. Every American librarian needs to grasp this at a deep level and let this guide their important work for readers, of all ages. Libraries are a cornerstone of democracy and of civilizations in general--what is in them is important. It is history. Lee & Low Books and others are doing critical work. Please reconsider your position and join the movement for a literature that actually reflects our world and includes everyone fairly. Exclusionary practices, whether unconscious or not, need to be identified, analyzed, dismantled, and transformed. Respectfully, Sun Yung Shin, author and public school English teacher

Posted : Jan 28, 2016 08:04

Mrs. L

Totally agree! We need to stop looking at what is different about everyone and start looking at who is most qualified and who is the best candidate for the job. We should not be hiring anyone based on their profile, people who work the hardest, are best qualified and the best candidate should get the job. Otherwise you ARE discriminating on people based on their color, religion, etc. It would not be fair to not give the job to the best candidate just because they are a women or white. That is racism and we are trying to eliminate discrimination of any kind based on differences.

Posted : Feb 10, 2016 07:59