91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) will the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and organizations across the country in observing the 2020 National Day of Racial Healing.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, thousands will celebrate our common humanity and take collective action toward a more just and equitable world.

In commemoration, 91´«Ã½ invites library workers and others to visit the , especially the , for ideas and ways to participate. These include:

• Find near you or create a new event on the National Day of Racial Healing event calendar.
  
  
• Offer reading recommendations, programming and displays at your library about race and equality and share messages of solidarity. To start, visit 91´«Ã½’s on race and equality for all ages and reading levels.
  
  
• Convene a book discussion focused on themes of race, identity and healing. Download free, ready-to-use discussion questions and other resources from .
  
  
• Take advantage of powerful online resources to explore equity, diversity and inclusion in your own life and organization. Self-reflect about your own implicit biases using Project Implicit’s free . Consider whether unintended racial prejudices are part of your organization with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s .
  
  
• Join the conversation on social media by letting us know how your library has implemented the recommendations above using the hashtags #LibrariesRespond, #HowWeHeal and #NDORH.

Conceived in 2016 through a collaborative effort of more than 550 U.S. leaders, the National Day of Racial Healing is a time to reinforce and honor our common humanity while celebrating the district differences that make our communities vibrant; acknowledge the deep racial divisions that exist in America and must be overcome and healed; and commit to engaging people from all racial and ethnic groups in genuine efforts to increase understanding, communication, caring and respect for one another.

The celebration is a part of the Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) effort, a national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

91´«Ã½ is one of 100 voluntary National Partner Organizations in the Kellogg Foundation’s TRHT efforts, along with 44 scholars, that participated in the 2016 TRHT design phase. More information is online at .

More than 100 libraries nationwide are currently in 91´«Ã½’s TRHT Great Stories Club, a reading and discussion program that engages underserved teens through literature and racial healing work. The selected books encourage participants to look beneath the surface of racism in America to see how the past is alive in the present and explore the power of young people taking a stand against racism and other injustices to make the world a better place. The program is supported from a grant from the Kellogg Foundation. To be informed about future Great Stories Club grants, for 91´«Ã½’s Programming Librarian newsletter.

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the 91´«Ã½ has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit .