Exploring Race, Culture and Identity with Children and Young People in the Library
Our inaugural Inclusive Libraries conference took place at the start of September 2024, running both in Leeds and London. Thank you to all those who attended and made the events such a success.
Read on to find out more about the conference and about the diverse and influential voices featured. You can also explore the recommended reads written or suggested by our speakers.
To stay updated on our work, and on related events such as our Diverse Libraries webinars, sign up for the National Literacy Trust newsletter.
About the conference
Reading is a foundational tool to develop empathy and support education around racism. For children and young people the library plays an essential role in self-discovery, and exploration of our global community. We want librarians to feel empowered to champion unheard voices, and provide a safe space for young people to explore cultures, identities and intersectionality, so that they feel included and celebrated.
We are thrilled to have collaborated with the British Library and Lit in Colour (Penguin Books) on this conference for librarians and other professionals with a stake in the library sector and provision.
How was the 2024 conference?
Read more about the conference in our Library Lifeline blog post from the School Library Association’s Member Development Librarian, Dawn Woods.
Recordings from the event
Watch the keynote speakers and panel discussion below. You might also like to continue the conversation in your settings with our talking points resource.
Keynote from Jeffrey Boakye
Keynote from Nazneen Ahmed Pathak
Keynote from Sharna Jackson
Panel discussion on representation in children's literature
Recommended reading
We've compiled a reading list of titles written or recommended by our speakers to help you explore further the insights and approaches addressed at the conference.
We also recommend:
- (incomplete) Lit in Colour book lists
- (incomplete) Lit in Colour play lists
- Lit in Colour Book Packs from Peters Books
- Audible recommends National Literacy Trust picks: Black History Month
- Audible Recommends National Literacy Trust picks: South East Asian Heritage Month
- Bobby Joseph’s Comics Laureate Library List
- Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O'Connor's regular article in Books for Keeps- Beyond the Secret Garden
Resources and research about inclusive libraries
National Literacy Trust
- Diverse Libraries webinar recordings | National Literacy Trust
- Activities for pupils in KS1-3: Black History Month Resources and Activities
- For parents and younger children: Celebrating Black History Month with your children
- Seeing yourself in what you read: diversity and children and young people’s reading in 2022
- Diversity and children and young people’s reading in 2020
Lit in Colour
- Lit in Colour Teacher Conference (secondary sessions)
- Lit in Colour Teacher Conference (primary sessions)
- Top tips for building confidence in teaching authors of colour (primary)
- Top tips for building confidence in teaching authors of colour (secondary)
- Download classroom/ library book auditing tool
- Twinkl: Lit in Colour primary school resource hub
- TES: Lit in Colour teaching resources hub
- Engaging with Empire – Reflective practice resource
- Lit in Colour report 2021
- Lit in Colour Pioneers Pilot information page with Pearson Edexcel exam board
Runnymede Trust
- Runnymede Trust report: Race and Racism in English secondary schools
- Our Migration Story
- Visualise – Race and inclusion in secondary school art education
- Making British History – Diversity and the National Curriculum
British Library
- Discovering Literature: Browse British Library's selection of resources, including expert articles, films, classroom activities and their Black literature timeline to help with your lesson planning. Includes articles on Andrea Levy, James Berry, Samuel Selvon and John Agard, who all featured in their Inclusive Libraries conference workshop.
- Black literature timeline: Explore the rich history of Black writing and literature in Britain.
- Livestreamed teacher CPD: Othello in context, 4:00 – 5:15pm on 23 October 2024. Book your free place. Get fresh insights, tips and resources for teaching Othello at KS5 and 4, with Professor Emma Smith, teacher and author Michael Donkor, and teacher and founder of 'Shakespeare, Race and Pedagogy', Dr Wendy Lennon.
Support for anyone affected
If you were affected by the themes of the conference and would like to receive support or talk through your experiences and feelings, you can find links to charities and organisations who can provide expert support.
Mind
Supportline: 0300 102 1234
A safe space for you to talk about your mental health. Advisors are trained to listen and help you find specialist support if you need it.
SHOUT Crisis Text Line UK
Textline: 85258
Free, confidential support, 24/7 via text. It’s the first free 24/7 texting service in the UK for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere.
Victim Support
Supportline: 0808 168 9111
Provides emotional and practical support for people affected by crime and traumatic events. (the crime doesn’t have to be reported).
Citizens Advice
0800 144 8848 (England Adviceline)
0800 702 2020 (Wales Adviceline)
18001 0800 144 8884 (textphone)
Free, confidential information and advice on your rights, including money, housing, experiences of discrimination and other problems.
More tailored support
Zuri Therapy ( Racial-Wellness) – BLAM UK CIC
Racial Wellness Therapy Workshops: A range of free, virtual group sessions for Black British people, with certified Black therapists, to help individuals begin their healing process for racial trauma.
Free, one to one, culturally appropriate talking therapy for Black people in the UK: Black Minds Matter UK is a registered charity connecting Black individuals and families with free 121 talking therapy delivered by qualified and accredited Black therapists.
Donate
Black Lives Matter UK
Black Lives Matter UK is a national, member led, anti-racist organisation fighting to end systemic racism.
BLAM UK (Black Learning Achievement & Mental Health UK)
This organisation’s aim is to promote a positive dialogue of social identity and culture through history. They focus largely on young black people.
Race Equality Foundation
The Race Equality Foundation tackles racial inequality across public services. Key areas of our work span health and social care, housing, communities, children and families and more.
The Runnymede Trust
From broadening the curriculum to exposing the Windrush scandal, our work is rooted in challenging structural racism and its impact on our communities. Our authoritative research-based interventions equip decision makers, practitioners and citizens with the knowledge and tools to deliver genuine progress towards racial justice in Britain.
Speaker Biographies
MC: Dr Chandan Mahal
Chandan Mahal has over twenty years’ experience of working in museums and archives, managing education and outreach programmes for diverse audiences. She is Learning Projects Manager for the National Learning Programme at the British Library. She recently led the national learning and engagement activities for the Unlocking our Sound Heritage project, which involved ten UK regional partners working collaboratively with health agencies, community organisations, artists and educators. She has led on many gallery and heritage digital projects, designing innovative and inclusive approaches to engagement and learning (Museum of London, The Women’s Library, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). She was commissioner for the Greater London Authority’s Mayors Commission on African and Asian Heritage and is a Trustee for the Heritage Alliance.
Keynote speakers
Jeffrey Boakye
Jeffrey Boakye is an ex-teacher turned writer, speaker, broadcaster and educator, with expertise in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Jeffrey taught English in London and Yorkshire for 15 years and now provides training for educational establishments on race, identity, masculinity and education. He is also Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Institute for Education, has eight published books and hosts BBC Radio 4’s Add to Playlist. He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Leicester in January 2023.
Twitter/X: @jeffreykboakye
Instagram: @jeffreykboakye
Nazneen Ahmed Pathak
Nazneen Ahmed Pathak is a British Bangladeshi writer, historian and visual artist who lives in the port city of Southampton. She spent most of her teen years in commuter belt suburbia writing, reading, and listening to melancholy indie music, going on to study English literature at the University of Warwick and completing a PhD in Bangladeshi literature at the University of Oxford. As a historian she researches the geography and history of migration, a subject which is also at the heart of much of her fiction, poetry and visual arts practice. She was selected as one of 12 mentees from 2000 applicants for the 2016/17 inaugural round of Penguin Random House's Write Now mentorship scheme which aims to support and publish underrepresented writers.
Nazneen's debut children's novel was City of Stolen Magic.
Sharna Jackson
Sharna Jackson is an author and artistic director who creates work to encourage children and young people to participate in arts, culture and publishing. She lives on a ship in Rotterdam. Her latest book, The Nine Night Mystery, is a page-turning murder-mystery full of surprising twists and epic reveals and is all about identity. Her debut novel, High-Rise Mystery won numerous awards and accolades including Best Book for Younger Readers at the 2020 Waterstones Book Prize. She released two art activity books with Tate in 2014 before writing Black Artists Shaping the World in 2021. She was Southbank Centre’s Imagine A Story Author in 2019/20 creating London/Londoff with over 1200 school children. She curates Ensemble – a show highlighting ethnic minority talent and achievement in the UK games industry.
Workshops
Lit in Colour campaign so far
Dr Zaahida Nabagereka and Dr Lesley Nelson-Addy
Dr Zaahida Nabagereka is a Senior Social Impact Manager at Penguin Books UK; she leads on the Lit in Colour campaign which was co-founded in 2020 with the UK’s leading race equality think tank, The Runnymede Trust. Zaahida has over 10 year’s experience working at the intersection between education, research and cultural representation. She has a doctorate degree in Literature from SOAS, University of London and has guest lectured at various higher education institutions.
Dr Lesley Nelson-Addy is the Education Manager at UK’s leading race equality think tank The Runnymede Trust. Lesley co-authored the Lit in Colour report and collaboratively informs the strategic and creative direction of the Lit in Colour campaign. Lesley has over 10 years English in education experience and her doctorate degree is in Education, from the University of Oxford, funded by the ESRC.
Reflections on Windrush: A British Library case study
Katie Adams, Noha Choudhury and Laura Chesover
Katie Adams is a Content Manager for Digital Learning at the British Library. She has developed resources for projects including Discovering Literature and Discovering Children's Books and was a co-curator of Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories (2023-24).
Noha Choudhury is a Content Developer for Digital Learning at the British Library. She develops resources to support the study of English literature for students, teachers and literature enthusiasts, with a focus on the representation of ethnically diverse authors.
Laura Chesover is the Schools Programme Manager at the British Library where she and her team welcome more than 20,000 students and teachers each year. She is a member of the Wandle English Hub Strategic Board and sits on the steering group for the Camden Every Child a Reader initiative.
Join this workshop for an insight into the Library's multi-faceted work to represent the histories of the Windrush generation and learn more about our digital Inclusive Literature programme. Share best practice and take away programming, leadership and networking strategies to centre under-represented histories within your own community.
Reflecting on equality in the stories we read, Global Learning London
Memoona Khan and Janet Noble
Global Learning London works with children, young people and their wider communities, to cultivate optimism and action for a more just and sustainable world. We plant seeds for learner-led projects, then move out of the way and cheer them on as they grow. Through creative projects, workshops and training, Global Learning London creates encounters to forge connections with learners, educators and schools to open spaces for reflection and enquiry. We do this with curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, and with art, culture and global perspectives at the heart. We believe that a kinder, more equitable world is possible, one where people and planet thrive to their full potential and beyond.
For more information visit www.globallearninglondon.org
Welcoming new arrivals
John Vincent
John Vincent has worked in the public sector since the 1960s, primarily for Hertfordshire, Lambeth and Enfield public library services. In 1997, he was invited to become part of the team that produced the UK’s first review of public libraries and social exclusion (from which The Network, which he now coordinates, originated).
John runs courses and lectures, writes, produces regular newsletters and ebulletins, and lobbies for greater awareness of the role that libraries, archives, museums, and the cultural & heritage sector play in contributing to social justice.
He is particularly interested in supporting the work that libraries do with young people in care, with LGBTQ+ people, and with people seeking sanctuary and other ‘new arrivals’ to the UK.
Diversity and representation in UK comics
Bobby Joseph
Bobby Joseph is an acclaimed comic creator whose work has often challenged and inspired its readers. Since the beginning of his career, he has been a vocal advocate for diversity and representation in comic books. His graphic novel, Scotland Yardie, published by Knockabout Comics in 2017, was the first diverse graphic novel to be studied as a module on an English Literature MA course at King’s College, London. He is the first person of colour to become Comics Laureate for the UK. He has written for The Guardian newspaper, Dazed and Confused, and Vice.com. His comic work was a prominent feature at the Anarchy in the UK comic exhibition at the British Library in 2015 and was seen by over 60,000 visitors.
See Myself in Books: Read Manchester
Margaret Duff and Cheryl Pridgeon
Margaret and Cheryl are strategic leads for the children and young people's offer for Manchester Libraries. They are also Hub Managers for Read Manchester, which is one of the National Literacy Trust's place-based literacy hubs. Working with schools, families and the wider community, they have created various programmes and initiatives to promote and celebrate diversity through their library and literacy work.
Living Libraries: The National Literacy Trust in Bradford
Nabeelah Hafeez and Imran Hafeez
Since 2014, we have been supporting literacy in Bradford through unique, community-driven projects. We have worked with over 30,000 children, families and teachers, and have given out over 50,000 books to children – many of whom did not own a single book.
We’ve focused our work on encouraging writing through innovative poetry projects, improving school readiness by working with dads, and recruiting local community volunteers.
Panellists
Sandra A. Agard
Sandra A. Agard is a professional storyteller, author, playwright, literature development consultant and cultural historian. She has worked in educational, cultural institutions, organisations and libraries for over forty years and has performed at festivals and events throughout the UK and the US.
Sandra’s first book, Harriet Tubman: A Journey to Freedom was published in 2019. She has now published six books, her latest being The Drum Maker and the Aziza.
In July 2022, Sandra became an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature and received the RSL’s Benson Medal for Services to Literature
Sandra is currently working at The British Library as a Learning Facilitator for Schools, where she also co-curated the Malorie Blackman Exhibition – The Power of Stories.
Sanchita Basu De Sarkar
Sanchita Basu De Sarkar is the owner of the Children's Bookshop in Muswell Hill, which was awarded the double accolade of Children's Bookseller of the Year and Book Retailer of the Year at the British Book Awards 2024. It is the oldest running children's bookshop in the country.
Sanchita has previously been a judge for the Costa Book Award, the Branford Boase Award, the British Book Awards, and the Week Junior Awards, amongst others. She sits on the Children’s Laureate Steering Group, and is the co-founder of Sail Fest, an organisation dedicated to promoting South Asian Children's Writers and Illustrators. She was made an Honorary Fellow at the Royal Society of Literature in 2024.
Twitter/X: @childrensbkshop & @chitabds
Instagram: @childrensbookshoplondon & @chitabds
Dr Darren Chetty
Dr Darren Chetty is a lecturer at University College London, having taught in primary schools for over twenty years. He works on education, antiracism, dialogue and children’s literature. He contributed to the best-selling book The Good Immigrant (Unbound) with a chapter entitled ‘You Can’t Say That! Stories Have to Be About White People’. For younger readers, Darren co-authored, with Jeffrey Boakye, What Is Masculinity? Why Does It Matter? And Other Big Questions (Wayland) and contributed to The Mab: Eleven Epic Stories from the Mabinogi (Unbound). Since 2018, he has written a regular column for Books for Keeps with Professor Karen Sands O’Connor examining Black & racially minoritised characters in children’s literature, entitled Beyond the Secret Garden. A book based on the column will be published by the English Media Centre in 2024.
Sarah Smith
Sarah’s work championing diversity in children’s literature is recognised in the panel production of Diverse Voices in 2014. She is a book review judge for Read for Empathy Collections | Empathy Lab and writes reviews for About Inclusive Books for Children | IBC Sarah is responsible for successful partnership programming which includes the annual Spine Festival and with Open Book Theatre, drama productions. She is a passionate advocate for the role of libraries in developing STEM.
In 2020 Sarah was awarded a British Empire Medal for her services to public libraries in recognition of her achievements. In 2023 she was named one of CILIP 125: The next generation of leaders - CILIP: the library and information association
Sarah is Chair of London branch of the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians.
Ashley Thorpe
Ashley is a writer and creative, born and raised in Nottingham but making Manchester his home. He is an editor and storyliner at the inclusive fiction studio Storymix, where he helps other writers create epic stories. The Boy to Beat the Gods, his first book for readers aged 9 and above, takes inspiration from West African Yoruba mythology. He is also a mentor for Children's Books North, a network that aims to connect published children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals living in the NW, NE, Yorkshire and Scotland.
Matthew Stoppard
Matthew Stoppard is a Children and Young People’s Librarian for Leeds Libraries and has worked for them in various roles for over 10 years. He is responsible for the entire city’s book provision for 0 to 19 year olds and develops activities and events for schools and families. He is part of the group that organises and delivers high-profile events such as the Leeds Book Awards, Leeds Storytelling Festival and Spooktacular (with the British Library). Matthew is the main organiser and host of a webinar series of digital author events attended by schools across the UK, which have featured Laura Ellen Anderson, Jeffrey Boakye and Keren David. At the heart of all this is equality, diversity and inclusivity
Michael La Rose
Michael La Rose is an author and essayist. He is one of the directors of New Beacon Books. He was Chair of the George Padmore Institute GPI (2006 -2016), a member of the organising committee of the International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books (1982-1995), and a member of the Black Youth Movement and Black Parents Movement organisations involved in educational struggles in the Black community. He was also a student and teacher in the George Padmore and Albertina Sylvester Supplementary Schools.
In 1966 New Beacon Books was one of the first Black publishing houses and booksellers in Britain along with Bogle L'Ouverture Publications and Allison & Busby. It was founded by poet and activist John La Rose, inspired by his cultural and political struggles in the Caribbean. New Beacon has published Marcus Garvey 1887-1940, The Caribbean Artists Movement; 1966-1972 A literary and cultural history, the campaigning document How the West Indian Child is made Educationally Sub-normal ESN in the British school system, and many more. The latest publications in 2023 were Blazing Trails; stories of a heroic generation and Don't salvage the Empire Windrush, both by Professor Gus John.
Aligning with Arts Council England's Lets Create Strategy
- Creative People- Throughout the day we will hear from industry practitioners such as children’s authors, storytellers, librarians and workshop leaders who facilitate creative learning in libraries. These speakers will share their practice for cultivating creativity in young people, making space for them to express themselves and their identity through reading, writing and other creative practices.
- Cultural Communities- We believe the library should be the beating heart of a community, whether in a school, a town centre, or a remote service supplying rural localities. Through this conference we want to empower librarians to own this and think imaginatively about how they welcome and honour their cultural communities, building on existing work to bring people together.
- A Creative & Cultural Country- With its dual locality in London and Leeds, this conference will bring together librarians from across the UK, investing in the sector to provide time and space for librarians to discuss, innovate, imagine and connect. There will be ample time for sharing best practice and collating practical ideas that librarians can then take with them back to their settings and communities.
Our partners
The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the UK. Its shelves hold over 170 million items – a rich and living collection that gets bigger and more inclusive every day. The Library offers a free onsite schools programme with workshops on topics including Windrush and Black British Literature, as well as a varied exhibition programme which this year has included Malorie Blackman: The Power of Words and Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music. Their digital Inclusive Literature programme is producing new learning resources and opening up teachers’ access to literary archives, with a focus on the representation of ethnically diverse authors.
Lit in Colour and the Runnymede Trust
The National Literacy Trust are a partner of the Lit in Colour campaign from Penguin Books and the Runnymede Trust. Lit in Colour aims to support UK schools make the teaching and learning of English Literature more inclusive of writers colour, and connect young people with books by writers of colour. The Lit in Colour report published in 2021 highlighted that less than 1% of GCSE students in England read a book by a writer of colour. Since then the Lit in Colour campaign has been working with a range of education and publishing stakeholders to support schools to make change.
