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Full-Text Articles in Library and Information Science

Supporting Biracial Students Through An Equity Lens: Multicultural Literature And Advocacy In School Libraries, Jacqueline Ahlborn May 2020

Supporting Biracial Students Through An Equity Lens: Multicultural Literature And Advocacy In School Libraries, Jacqueline Ahlborn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biracial students make up a substantial allocation of the school population, and their demographics are only expected to increase within the coming years. With this emergence of a larger Biracial community, schools need to consider how they will implement equitable resources and practices to meet the needs for this unique population. School librarians, serving as instructional leaders, can provide the necessary materials and strategies to support their students who are Biracial in order to foster positive racial identity. The purpose of this study is to explore school librarians’ perspectives on the influence of multicultural literature on students’ acceptance and understanding …


Shifting Lenses On Youth Literacy And Identity, Kafi D. Kumasi, Sandra Hughes-Hassell Jan 2017

Shifting Lenses On Youth Literacy And Identity, Kafi D. Kumasi, Sandra Hughes-Hassell

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Racialized youth, especially those who attend chronically underperforming schools in US's poor and urban communities, can be likened to singing canaries. These young people risk their lives by entering educational institutions that are not equipped to properly prepare them for the future. Historically, the canary served to warn coal miners of the presence of dangerous gases. When the canary stopped singing or was found dead, the miners knew a serious problem required immediate attention. Like canaries, racialized youth in inner-city schools are a litmus test for the health of the entire educational system in the US. In this article they …


Roses In The Concrete: A Critical Race Perspective On Urban Youth And School Libraries, Kafi D. Kumasi May 2012

Roses In The Concrete: A Critical Race Perspective On Urban Youth And School Libraries, Kafi D. Kumasi

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

This article utilizes Critical Race Theory (CRT) to interrogate school library practices and school librarian belief systems as they relate to serving urban youth of color. The author offers several area for interrogation including: 1) disrupting cultural deficit views; 2) honoring students voices and life experiences; 3) recognizing structural inequalities; and 4) understanding whiteness. This work has implications for helping school librarians develop the cultural sensitivities and dispositions necessary for creating library programs that support and affirm urban youth of color.