When Anti-Racist Booklists Are Not Enough

In response to the killing of George Floyd, our community rallied in the #blacklivesmatter movement by reading and requesting anti-racism books, and through activism. Our police department assisted a non-profit group in blocking the streets and crowd-control for a well-attended protest against racism and police brutality, one of our library patrons wrote and performed a poem , a petition was started and shared to remove a Confederate statue in downtown Statesville, and we at the library responded to our patron’s questions. Teens and adults wanted suggestions and book titles, and as librarians, that is something we can do. Although, we recognize this is not all we should be doing. We are watching webinars provided by the American Library Association, and having tough conversations to help us on our anti-racist journeys.

However, we are librarians, and do want to offer you some booklists for your anti-racist and diversity endeavors.