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literacyworldwide.org | July/August 2020 | LITERACY TODAY
LIT BITS
ILA Welcomes
New Board Members
ILA Signs on Against Censorship
ILA, along with more than 40 other
organizations, signed on to a statement from
the National Coalition Against Censorship
against the silencing of voices by banning or
challenging books featuring LGBTQ characters
and themes.
“When public schools or libraries yield to
pressure to remove, red-flag or limit access
to these books, they undermine free speech
principles, further isolate LGBTQ youth, and
deprive all young people of opportunities
to increase their empathy and respect for
differences,” the statement reads.
Eighty percent of the 10 most frequently
challenged books in 2019 told queer stories,
such as A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by
Jill Twiss (Chronicle Books) along with And
Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin
Richardson (Little Simon).
“When LGBTQ stories are silenced in this
way, LGBTQ youth and children from LGBTQ
families get the message that their own
stories—their very lives—do not have value, that
they are shameful,” the statement continues.
“However, reading stories that acknowledge
their experiences, in which they can recognize
themselves and their families, reinforces their
sense of self-worth and helps them overcome
the experience of and feelings associated with
social marginalization.”
To read the full statement, visit ncac.org
/news/attacks-lgbtq-stories. To see the list of
most challenged books from 2019, visit ala.org
/advocacy/bbooks.
ILA is pleased to announce the newly elected members of the ILA Board
of Directors, including our new vice president, Rob Tierney. Tierney is
currently dean emeritus and professor, University of British Columbia,
Canada, honorary professor, University of Sydney, Australia, and
distinguished scholar, Beijing Normal University, China. His term began July
1, 2020. He will assume the presidency of the Board on July 1, 2021.
Our three new Board members-at-large for the 2020–2023 term are
Danielle V. Dennis, professor of literacy teacher education and director of
the University of Rhode Island School of Education
Annette M. Kiberu, librarian at GEMS Cambridge International School in
Kampala, Uganda
J. Helen Perkins, professor of literacy at the University of Memphis in
Tennessee
To learn more about our newly elected leaders, visit literacyworldwide
.org/about-us/our-team/board-election.
Tierney
Dennis
Kiberu
Perkins