Credentialed School Librarians

Twelve Points About Street Literature

Me on a good day

     Over the last couple of years, I have become increasingly annoyed with some of my librarian peers, K-12 educators and members of academia.  This state that I find myself in is a result of comments and attitudes about the genre of Street Literature, also known as Urban Fiction.  If you have been following this blog since it's inception, I have discussed this genre heavily, i.e. definition, origins, popularity with teens etc.  You can also view one of my popular presentations from 2013 on my slideshare account here:

Street Literature Collection Development for Middle/High School Readers

     The following list has grown from 10 points to 12 in this year. My hope is I will have a solid 25 points about Street Literature that I can use to promote the genre and debate more effectively with.  By no means am I an expert on this topic, I'm merely a librarian that has observed first hand how this genre has positively impacted the lives of marginalized otherwise forgotten youth of Chicago's inner city.

     I am interested in feedback on what I have written, please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section of this blog.   Just a fyi, I do not tolerate negative comments directed at others who wish to leave a comment.  In other words, serving others tea on my blog is not tolerated - respect for other's opinion is celebrated.  Peace, K.C.

Betcha didn't know!

Twelve Points About Street Literature

1.  All stories have VALUE, regardless of the lens/perspective it's told from.

2.  Who are any of us (librarians/reading specialists/educators) to say Street Literature is not a genre?

3.  Urban Fiction is a genre and Street Literature is a sub-genre of Urban Fiction, both should be respected as such.

4.  Street Literature is a genre that should be in all library collections for teens and adults.  As should other books that celebrate various subjects and cultures.

5.  To make excuses (I've heard many of them) not to include them is just plain sad and a disservice to your patrons.

6.  Street Literature is a genre that should not be ignored by librarians. This genre has served as a catalyst to jump start reluctant readers to read more frequently.

7.  Street Literature has provided a pipeline for readers of all ages to learn/understand communities unlike their own.

8.  From my personal experience, many critics of Street Literature have not read one book within the genre or a body of work representing various authors and reading levels.

9.  Many critics of Street Literature just don't understand it.  Just think about it: What happens when we don't understand something....We reject it.

Street Literature Book Award Medal
Created by Dr. Vanessa Irvin

10.  Many librarians have Young Adult Street Literature books within their collections, and are unaware of their genre classification.

11.  Articles have been written about the success of the genre's authors - http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/ashley-jaquavis-coleman-profile/?_r=0

       The Street Literature Book Award Medal has been created to celebrate books written each year within the genre - http://www.streetliterature.com/p/slbam.html

12.  Urban Fiction/Street Literature is here to stay....deal with it. 

"Street Lit. Writers Must Be Heard"

 http://missdomino.blogspot.com/2014/08/street-lit-writers-must-be-heard.html  

Another post that should be read is Amy Koester's blog post,

"Selection is Privilege"

http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/02/selection-is-privilege.html 

The Reader's Advisory Guide to Street Literature by Dr. Vanessa Irvin Morris

http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302

An American Treasure: Jacqueline Woodson

National Book Award Winner, Jacqueline Woodson

I recently was involved in discussion thread on one of my librarian listserv lately regarding award winning author, Jacqueline Woodson.

Woodson is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature for the book, "Brown Girl Dreaming".  During the program, an insensitive joke was made by the master's of ceremonies that centered around a stereotype of watermelon and African-Americans.  Since that time, Woodson has responded by writing an eloquent column in the New York Times which was also picked up by Time Magazine. Both posts are currently being circulated on social media during this holiday season and in my opinion has made online reading quite interesting.

The Pain of the Watermelon Joke
by Jacqueline Woodson

I read some of the comments on the listserv and on the articles comment section....honestly my blood pressure spiked a bit.  I was saddened, then angered and then left bewildered by some of the comments.  Overall, many understood how Woodson felt in that moment:  She had just happily received this prestigious award and while making her way from the stage back to her seat, had the moment belittled to an insensitive joke.  What was also interesting is some of the comments ranged from Woodson reacting in a hyper-sensitive matter about the subject, while others believe that the joke was just delivered in poor taste and she and others should just let it go.

I know you are probably thinking, K.C. why are you so wound up about the comments of others? The reason why is, these comments represent the general thought or opinions of others.  You see in today's technology driven society, it's easy to hide behind a computer or online name these days, so one can be their authentic self and express their views freely. The comments in my opinion were authentic and represent as a society, that there is still a lack of understanding of people from other races/cultures. These comments also are an indicator that we still have a long way to go.

After reading all of the press associated with Woodson's award, I also think about a heated argument I had with a librarian colleague about ten years ago.   The argument centered around her lack of understanding about offensive books about people of color.   I explained to her that when I was working at Kdg. - 8th grade school, I used to cringe when I read the book, "Five Little Monkey's Jumping on a Bed."  This is a classic children's counting book that many of us are familiar with.     What many don't realize in the earlier version, the book was called, "Ten Little Nigger Boys." The popular chant that is now known as "Five Little Monkeys" (also known as "Ten Little Monkeys or Ten Little Indians") used the "n word" plural or "darkies" as a reference for Black people instead of the word "monkey".   Historically, the word "monkey" itself is a word which has also been used in the past and the present as an offensive reference for Indian and African American people.

http://weneeddiversebooks.org 

This is where I can directly relate to Woodson.  When she heard the comments during 'her moment', it took her back to a time of pain and struggle.   In my case, my colleague felt that since the revised version was reissued, I should no longer have strong feelings about the theme of the book.  My argument was it's hard to just 'erase' the imagery and message that was once present in this book, especially when I see copies on the internet and rare book collections.   This is why organizations such as, 'We Need Diverse Books' is needed because they are committed to diversifying all children’s literature.  Children should have the opportunity to be exposed to a diverse body of literature that accurately represents themselves and for their personal leisure and required reading.

Me Sitting Behind the Circulation Desk

I have been a Jacqueline Woodson fan as long as I've served as a school librarian.  She is one of many authors who are committed to filling the void of stories written about children of color. Through her stories, she has demonstrated to the publishing field that these stories are rich, wonderful reads that bring a different voice to contemporary fiction.   I applaud Woodson and so should you.  Her accomplishments should not be overshadowed by the comments of the ill informed that lacks cultural understandings.
She is an American treasure and we should treat and celebrate her as such.


References
Dwyer, C., (November, 2014)
Daniel Handler Apologizes For Jokes At National Book Awards
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/21/365707391/book-news-daniel-handler-apologizes-for-jokes-at-national-book-awards

Frizell, S., (November, 2014)
Jacqueline Woodson Responds to Racist Watermelon Joke
http://time.com/3610303/jacqueline-woodson-watermelon-racist-joke-lemony-snicket-daniel-handler-national-book-awards/

Frizell, S., (November, 2014)
Children’s Author Helps Raise Thousands After Racist Remark
http://time.com/3601099/daniel-handler-lemony-snicket-racist-remark/

Gates, H. L. (July, 2014)
The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African American Literary Criticism
Oxford University

Harvey, R., (February, 1997)
Don't Judge Hearn Merely by Latest Slip of Tongue
Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/1997-02-06/sports/sp-26020_1_chick-hearn

We Need Diverse Books
http://weneeddiversebooks.org/

Woodson, J., (November, 2014)
The Pain of the Watermelon Joke
New York Times
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/29/opinion/the-pain-of-the-watermelon-joke.html

African-American Boys and Reading

President Obama's 'My Brother's Keeper' Program

     Blogger Edi Campbell recently forwarded an EdWeek Article to me on Twitter called, "Urban Districts Pledge Progress for Boys of Color".   Though there is a reference that reading will be a main focal point, I didn't see a clear statement that would suggest that school libraries and teacher-librarians would be part of the implementation of this program.

     I immediately related the article to my high school in Chicago where the student body is made of 100% African-Americans students.   Could a program like this impact schools like
mine?  The article was indeed an interesting one but now I have to ask a loaded question:   Out of these schools districts that have committed to this program, how many of them have a professionally staffed librarian running the school library?  Here's my two cents on this issue:

1.  Teacher-Librarians Must Be Staffed and Administer the School Library Program Full Time
     Teacher-Librarians would definitely be a huge asset to this national program.  The challenge is motivating the kids to read.   Now we get to meat of things.   Identifying books for purchase, that will appeal to children of color.  When kids see images of themselves and their stories represented, they gravitate to those books.   This why it's also important for educators to get out of that, 'I enjoyed that book when I was their age' attitude.   It just doesn't work for today's students who are different.  Their interests are wide, very diverse and content specific.  Teacher-librarians embrace what students are interested in,  they read the same books the students are reading and they build and connect the books to the the curriculum to make lessons for meaningful.

2.  Students Are a Valuable Source for Information....LISTEN TO THEM!

     Sometimes Administrators get so wrapped up in scores and testing they miss the valuable feedback from students.  Why not rely on your school's teacher-librarian?  Teacher-Librarians are excellent conveyors of information in this area.   Why?  They have the unique of experience of working with students as they move from grade to grade.
 
    Librarians observe a student's development of reading habits and social/emotional growth over a long period of time.  Also, there is a trusting element that is sometimes overlooked.  When students visit their school's library media center, they enter into a 'worry' free environment where their opinion is celebrated and the atmosphere is devoid of the emphasis of testing.

2.  Financially Support the Staffing and Program Administration of the School Library Program

     Dr.  Keith Curry Lance has stated this over and over again.   Libraries must be supported financially and run by professionally trained library staff.  I also want to be very clear about the trained staff statement:  School librarians must hold either an endorsement or Masters Degree in Library Information Science.  School districts can't be cheap and substitute these trained content specialists for paraprofessionals, library aides or volunteers.

     Lance's latest study focuses directly on the school building level and the different types of school library staff and the impact that make on student achievement.  Read the report here:    http://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/CO4_2012_Closer_Look_Report.pdf

     Lance also reported the impact of poverty and compared the staffing in wealthier school districts with school districts that have students who were eligible for the Free and Reduced-Cost meals. (Please note, this is a generally accepted indicator of poverty in education)   An indicator of poverty with poverty utilized as a control variable, both endorsed librarians had a higher, positive and statistically significant correlations with reading scores than non-certified librarians.

Source:  "Change in School Librarian Staffing Linked with Change in CSAP Reading Performance, 2005 to 2011. (Lance, 2012)

Watch Dr. Stephen Krashen's passionate presentation at the  Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education meeting last February.

3.  Hire Teacher-Librarians That Have Had Cultural Competency Training

     Today's Teacher-Librarian must be knowledgeable and respectful of their student's culture, social and academic specific needs.   Having and understanding this valuable information will greatly assist them as they administer library programs that are equitable for use of all students.  The inability to have these key components in place will be a disservice to the students.   Period.

     Last March, YALSA President Shannon Peterson moderated a webinar featuring Kafi Kumasi and Vanessa Irvin Morris to discuss recommendations from The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action report to improve cultural competencies in libraries.   During their lively and informative discussion, they discussed the role that cultural competencies play and will continue to play in Young Adult Teen Library Services.  I strongly suggest all school librarians and district stakeholders watch this webinar posted below.

4.  Greater Presence of African-American Males in K-12 Education

     I have worked at the elementary and high school levels throughout my career in Chicago Public Schools.  One thing that upper level administrators lose focus on is the impact African-American male teachers make on students of color.  There's no denying this, it's a winning solution because this is another way of closing the cultural gap that often takes place in schools.   

     Wouldn't it be great if there was a recruitment drive to encourage African-American males to earn MLIS degrees and serve their communities as teacher-librarians? Credential librarians of color still make up a small percentage of the overall librarianship workforce.  Industry leaders hope to change that as the nation's changing demographics continue to make its mark, and the field experiences a heavy wave of retirements.   Schools can do their part in supporting the recruitment and retention.

          Dr. Dawn Tafari, is a member of the clinical faculty in the Education Department at Winston-Salem State University which has created a support network for black male teachers.  "It's important for black children to have a relationship with a teacher who has experienced some of the things they have experienced," explains Dr. Tafari. "Especially in our urban areas, a lot of black boys don't see successful black males and who have successfully navigated the K-12 system themselves, then that can help to be a motivation."  I see the results of this everyday.  My school is blessed to have a strong black male presence and the their impact results in my students graduating and transitioning into higher education and society.

I hope this post was informative and makes you think about the strong impact of school libraries and librarians in the lives of today's youth.  I leave you now with this quote from one of my heroes:

Donation from DaBook Joint
http://www.dabookjoint.com/young-adults-c-8.html 

"The better the school library, the higher the reading scores"

Dr. Stephen Krashen

Feb., 2014 Presentation:  LAUSD Board Meeting

References
Urban Districts Pledge Progress for Boys of Color (Superville, 2014) EdWeek Online., 

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/11/05/11boysofcolor.h34.html via @educationweek

Change in School Librarian Staffing Linked with Change in CSAP  Reading Performance, 2005 to 2011. (Lance, 2012)

http://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/CO4_2012_Closer_Look_Report.pdf

Increasing African American Male Teachers in Public Schools Benefits All Students
(Mosley, 2014)  http://wfdd.org/post/increasing-african-american-male-teachers-public-schools-benefits-all-students 

LIS Cultural Competency Training. Slideshare Presentation.   (Mestre, 2011)
http://www.slideshare.net/lmestre/lis-cultural-competency 

Hiring the Next Wave of Multicultural Librarians (Linton, 2013)
http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/workforce/hiring-the-next-wave-of-multicultural-librarians-20130131

Video
Dr. Stephen Krashen defends libraries at LAUSD Board Meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAui0OGfHQY

What's Next for Teen Services?: Cultural Competencies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a7izSpU3oU