This was my March

Wow, March was a busy month! All good things and much appreciated things, but busy.

On the 23rd, I received UNC's 2015 Diversity Award in the Communities category for my work in  my school and district getting more diverse books in our library and educating about appropriate American Indian books, as well as my work with the NC State Advisory Council to create new Culturally Responsive Instructional Resource pages online and advocating for reading of diverse books on this blog.

UNC 2015 Diversity Award recipients with university biggies

I got to hug the chancellor and eat fancy-schmancy, delicious finger foods at the reception. The chancellor is in the front row in the pic, wearing the skirt and jacket. I'm in the back row, second from left. I also knocked over my award right in front of the microphone as I gave my thanks, which I'm sure woke up anyone who had drifted off.


On the 27th, I spoke at the 2015 Native Leadership Symposium as the North Carolina Native Leader Spotlight speaker. The symposium is organized by UNC's First Nations Graduate Circle and holy cow, they do an excellent job! The theme this year was Representation and Empowerment in Indian Country. A huge squeeeee from the symposium? I got to meet and talk with Dr. Adrienne Keene of the ultra fabulous Native Appropriatons blog! Her keynote speech rocked - intelligent and thoughtful commentary on cultural appropriation. I was a little star struck.

Squeeee!

I spoke on action leadership - leadership by taking actions to make meaningful change, specifically using your passions/interests as a springboard to meaningful change in Indian country.

I was completely and fully honored to be asked to speak at this well-organized and thought-provoking event. It was a little nerve-wracking speaking about myself (when I present, it's usually in the form of giving resources or talking about a concept or end result), but I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. What a great experience!

My honor gifts - handmade pottery turtle and tobacco

The next day, I had a great time presenting the North Carolina State Advisory Council's new Culturally Responsive Instructional Resource pages to a group of about 20 teachers at a workshop, "An Indigenous People's History of the United States" at the North Carolina Museum of History. I absolutely love giving teachers resources they want and need - and are specifically there to get! 

The next week, during my spring break, I presented those same resources to teachers for three days at the Collaborative Conference on Student Achievement in Greensboro, North Carolina. This conference is a big, huge, hairy teaching conference deal. I'm not sure how many teachers, administrators and other education people were there, but it felt and looked like thousands (at the conference, not in my sessions, thank goodness!).  Although . . . would I like thousands of teachers and administrators to know about those new webpages? Yes, yes, I would. Yep.

Have I mentioned the North Carolina State Advisory Council's new Culturally Responsive Instructional Resource pages enough? Spread the word! Use and enjoy.

Wow, March was a busy month! All good. 

Cry to the Captain

I am not a New Year's resolutions person. I am an anti-resolutionist. In fact, I think this year, I will simply change the '4' to a '5' in my road map from 2014. I am still working on all of it.

However, I'd like to issue a challenge this year - to me, to you, to everyone. Sparked by The Book Riot's 2015 Read Harder Challenge, which challenges us to read about experiences, places and cultures that may be different from our own, my challenge narrows it down to culture.

The We Need Diverse Books campaign has been long overdue and diverse books have finally gotten some attention this year. But have they gotten enough attention? And are publishers really listening and responding? I don't think so. Certainly some publishers are. But not enough. Maybe the publishing industry is akin to trying to steer an enormous steel ocean-going vessel (I'm trying not to say Titanic because I absolutely do not think that the publishing industry is sinking) - it takes a frustratingly long time for the captain to hear the cry, to then believe the cry and give the order to change course, and then a subsequently excruciatingly long time for the ship to begin to veer from its original course.

There are a number of concerned readers and writers who have made a resolution or given a challenge to read more diversely. I add my voice to theirs in attempt to have our cry heard.

I found the The Book Riot's 24 tasks very helpful in thinking about what I'd like to do to read more diversely, so I am borrowing from their list, with modification, to form my own challenge.

Here is my challenge task list, should you choose to join me:

• Read at least 2 books that take place in Africa by an African author.
• Read at least 2 books about Asian culture and heritage by an author of Asian heritage.
• Read at least 2 books involving American Indian or First Peoples culture by an author who is American Indian or First People. On this task, I have suggestions for you. I'd suggest Sherman Alexie, Tim Tingle, Louise Erdrich and Cynthia Leitich Smith and Eric Gansworth as starting points.
• Read at least 2 books about black or African American culture by a black or African American author.
• Read at least 2 books about Mexican culture by a Mexican author.

You'll notice that my tasks differ from The Book Riot's in an important way - my tasks specify authors who are a part of the cultures about which they write. Within the conversation about the need for diverse books, there are two camps: those that believe that an author of any culture can, with research, write about any other culture and those that believe that it is extremely difficult and almost never happens for an author to write about a culture with authenticity unless h/she is part of that culture. I fall more in the second camp. As a Native person, I have read a lifetime of cringe-worthy books about American Indians. With all the research available to authors, there is simply no excuse for much of it. But even with well-researched books, there are things that a writer simply would not know, things they misinterpret, things they *think* they understand about Indians - and do not. To write authentically, I feel more and more that you must be part of that culture.

If anyone from those cultures has recommendations for my other challenge books, I'd love it if you would let me know in the comments. 

My diverse reading challenge for 2015 is not an overly-ambitious-for-over-achievers list. It might be a realistic list for me, given my other responsibilities. And I can cry to the captain through my diverse purchases.