💭 For years, I dreamed of attending #sxswedu, but it was never within reach. Now, it’s in my backyard. And it’s happening just a few months after WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK LIBRARIANS GATHERING IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY? is released into the wild.
Erika Long
@erikaslong.bsky.social
school librarian 👩🏽🏫 | consultant @ Not Yo Mama’s Librarian👩🏽💻 | Apple Learning Coach | book reviewer 📖 | writer ✍🏽 https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/why-are-all-the-black-librarians-gathering-in-the-school-library-9798216188735/
👂🏽You can only order from Follett for your collection development? 🤔Wait a minute . . . They’ve got you covered. 🎉You can now find WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK LIBRARIANS GATHERING IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY? on titlewave.com It’s out 10.01.26, but you can add it to that fall list you’re building now.
“If you don’t have access to the truth and the real world in real time, you cannot make rational democratic decisions in our society.” - Rachel Maddow #ALAAC26
Maddow: If you lose access to knowledge. You cannot make informed decisions as a citizen. #ALAAC26
🌟 One Final Review 🌟 Closing out the review series with one more generous endorsement. ⬇️ Read the review below. #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansLead
On Juneteenth, we celebrate the power of Black stories. 🧵 💙❤️🤍 Happy Juneteenth ❤️🖤💚 #Juneteenth #Librarians #schoollibrarian #RepresentationMatters #blacklibrariansgathering
Another Voice. Another Powerful Endorsement. 🖤 “Why Are All the Black Librarians Gathering in the School Library?: Stories and Lessons is a powerful tribute to Black school librarians. Through firsthand narratives, it highlights their role in fostering curiosity, preserving culture, and…
❤️ R E V I E W ❤️ T W O ❤️ @becalzada.bsky.social “This book offers a powerful look into the personal and professional lives of Black librarians, highlighting how they center student voice and create inclusive spaces where learners feel valued…
“. . . without the practice of naming what happened and how it felt, these moments can gaslight us into questioning our own perceptions.”—S. Michele Echols #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansLead
Our final contributor is Michele Echols 🤎 S. Michele Echols is a high school librarian and associate professor whose expertise lies in interdisciplinary collaboration. #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansLead
“When I arrived at KIPP Baltimore in 2014, there was no existing school library, and the absence of a dedicated school librarian was a gap I was determined to fill.” -Theresa Bruce In “Designing and Opening a School Library Program,” Theresa shares her dedication to bringing libraries to her school.
We’re close to the finish line. 🏁 Meet Theresa Bruce. Her story is a rare one and she’s still on the first leg of this marathon. #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansLead
“I can identify with being at conferences and not seeing other people that look like me for miles around, and it is disparaging.” —Cicely Lewis #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansLead
Chapter 12 comes to you from 👑🐝 of libraries, Cicely Lewis Cicely Lewis, school librarian and author, was named the 2020 SLJ School Librarian of the Year, a 2019 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and received the 2019 National Teacher Award for Lifelong Readers by NCTE and Penguin Random House.
“As Black women are prone to do, they have charged me with not only advancing myself, but finding new Black librarians to mentor and to lead in librarianship wherever I can.” —Kat Baxter #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansLead
Here comes bestie!! Meet Alabama’s Kat Baxter, contributor #1️⃣1️⃣. Forgive her for rolling tide. 🐘 Kat Baxter is an elementary school librarian in Alabama. She is a Fulbright Educator and was selected to participate in the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program. #BlackLibrariansGathering
“In retrospect, I either had a principal or coordinator who wanted me to do everything, or those who attempted to place barriers against anything that I tried outside of the basic expectations.” —Stacey Nunn
Introducing 🎉2026 SLJ School Librarian of the Year Finalist 🎉Stacey Nunn, contributor #10 @bloggerbookie.bsky.social Stacey Nunn is a school librarian in Maryland. She received her MLIS from Syracuse University and has spent over fifteen years in education.
“We can choose paths that are less traveled, and in doing so, we can create spaces where we and others like us can thrive.” —Sean Brandon Jr. #BlackLibrariansGathering #LibrariansLookLikeMeToo #BlackLibrariansGathering
I feel like this is flying by, but let’s stay committed to the daily post because there’s more to come. Taking up the chapter 9️⃣ spot is Sean Brandon Jr. aka Coach Brandon @coachbrandonjr
“Being a Black librarian, with experience from Chicago to California, showcases how libraries have grown and how the librarian is a catalyst of that growth.” —Dionne Howell-Taylor
“Not only is sisterhood vital within school librarianship, but having mentors and allies provides beneficial support.” —Dr. Cynthia Richardson Johnson
“The opportunity to be surrounded by not just Black women but Black history was a reset I never knew I needed. I was now a part of a majority in a field that generally does not reflect the same.” —Aleea Daley-Price
Meet the Contributor: Chapter 6️⃣ Aleea Davey-Price is an elementary school librarian and artist. When she’s not performing her typical librarian duties, she’s decorating her library in new and fun ways.
4️⃣th up: Chiquita Toure is an educator-librarian with thirty years of experience and currently serves as a certi!ed school librarian. She blogged for Knowledge Quest, authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles.
“I have never met another Black male elem school librarian. My students will likely never have another Black male (or female) librarian in their academic careers. That adds additional pressure to my already tense shoulders because of my inherent responsibility to get it right.” —Abdul-Brahin Tabb
“Growing up in the Bronx in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I had diverse teachers and role models, but I never connected with the idea that I could be a librarian... I didn’t know this field needed or wanted people who looked like me.” —Donna Gray @dngray18.bsky.social
