ALA Cognotes Seattle Midwinter Highlights - 2019 - 1
COGNOTES JANUARY 25-29, 2019 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Robin DiAngelo Gets Real on Racism as President's Program Challenges 'White Fragility' By Amy Carlton, American Libraries A LA President Loida Garcia-Febo opened her President's Program at the Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits on January 27 with a performance by the Muckleshoot Canoe Family, representing the Coast Salish culture that has existed in the Seattle area for more than 12,000 years. Garcia-Febo then discussed the libraries she visited on her Libraries = Strong Communities tour over the past several months and invited members of her diversity advisory team to join her onstage. ALA is creating a series of videos to help libraries with equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives; the first video should be available in March. The program's keynote speaker was Robin DiAngelo, a longtime diversity and antiracism educator and author of White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. White fragility, a phrase DiAngelo coined, refers to the inability of white people to tolerate racial stress. She also calls it "weaponized hurt feelings" and considers it a form of bullying and dominance that allows white people to maintain racial control. "We make it so miserable for people of color to talk Robin DiAngelo discusses white fragility during the ALA President's Program. » see page 6 Isha Sesay Shares the Story of the Chibok Schoolgirls By Terra Dankowski, American Libraries I sha Sesay wants to tell the stories of women and girls who are often overlooked - including the account of 276 schoolgirls who were kidnapped by jihadist militant organization Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria, in 2014. "They're not just a bloc of black girls who went missing where nobody cares to know their names," said Sesay. "One of my biggest wishes with this book is that people see them 2019 MIDWINTER MEETING & EXHIBITS HIGHLIGHTS as individuals." Sesay, the former CNN anchor who broke the news of the kidnappings and won a Peabody Award for her coverage, has written Beneath the Tamarind Tree, the first definitive account of this event. The debut author joined Booklist editor Donna Seaman on stage at the Closing Session of the American Library Association's 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle on January 28 to discuss her book. » see page 2 AWARDSCOVERAGE Youth Media Awards Announced at January 28 Ceremony T he American Library Association announced the top books, video, and audio books for children and young adults on January 28. A list of many of the award winners follows. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit www.ala.org/yma. John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's » see page 7