![]() ![]() Rooted MKE thrives to support in building these critical connections. Connecting, builds understanding and awareness and has the ability to impact how to view and experience life. ![]() Storytelling and literacy widen our lens and perspective. Telling, and sharing stories is how we connect to the World around us. It is vital that a wide range of black and brown stories be shared and celebrated. Rooted MKE is certainly a labor of love and a commitment to the black and brown children of my beautiful city. A love letter to BIPOC folx fighting racism in predominantly white institutions Dear BIPOC person fighting racism in a predominantly white institution, Day after day, I watch in awe as you navigate a world that we were never meant to survive. The little voice inside, cheering me on, became increasingly louder over the past 4 years and a fire was lit to move my plans from paper, to actionable items.Īfter teaching many amazing Special Education students with Milwaukee Public Schools, attending graduate school at UW-Milwaukee (Master in Exceptional Education and Reading- Undergraduate Degree in Sociology), and leading STEM programming for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, I decided to finally take the leap and pursue my dream. The BIPOC acronym stands for Black, Indigenous, People of Color. I always knew I wanted to one-day own a bookstore. Life is certainly busy for us, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m a wife and mother of two vibrant and busy children under 4. represent nearly three quarters (71%) of children's and young adult books published in 2019," reports the Cooperative Children's Book Center. "Books about White children, talking bears, trucks, monsters, potatoes, etc. According to the Brookings Institution, there are more BIPOC folx than Whites under the age of 15 years old in the U.S.1 (The term "folx" is an alternative spelling to "folks" used to emphasize the inclusion of marginalized groups.) While the United States has a very diverse population, this diversity is not always reflected in children's books. I want to say thank you for showing up with love, with excellence, with care, with joy, and with authenticity. In fact, Black, Asian, and Hispanic people have only ever crossed the 10% line twice - Black librarians accounted for 10.1% of the industry in 2011, and Hispanic librarians made up 10.4% in 2017. It is critical that urban youth both see themselves in the pages of books and read varied narratives of what it means to be a black, or brown protagonist. Despite never being taught by BIPOC teachers as a child, my own life has been irreversibly transformed by you, the BIPOC educators who are my colleagues, friends, mentors, and comrades. In 2021, roughly 87% of librarians were white people, which has been the average since 2013. ![]() This is just below the 10-year average, which is 7.4%.
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