Note from CMLE: We are currently in the process of updating our mini grant policies and procedures. We will make an announcement on our site and newsletter when we are ready to begin reviewing applications again!

This is a guest post from Beth Russell, Digital Skills Teacher and Curriculum Integration Coordinator at Rockford Middle School Center for Environmental Studies.

This summer saw a call for social justice that was shouted from the rooftops, marched down the streets, and written on signs, blogs, and across the hearts and minds of people in Minnesota and across the globe. We heard people demanding the right to exist, to succeed, and to matter. At RMS-CES, we heard this call and are responding in part by recognizing that our school library did not reflect the voices, faces, and stories of many of our students. 

We searched for book lists that featured writers of color, showcased diverse characters, and told stories and experiences from the past and from the present. We looked for books about everyday life and ones about traumatic experiences in history. We read blogs, followed authors on social media, and vowed to do better when purchasing books in the future, that our students will see themselves on the cover and in the pages of the books that are on our shelves. 

After the books came in, teachers who were in the building during workshop week had the chance to browse and borrow books for class read alouds. It was great to see so many teachers excited about starting to share our new collection right away, and we can’t wait to get our books into the hands of our students at the start of this very unprecedented year.