Resources for ALA's Great Stories Club Series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation

Background

In October 2017, ALA received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to develop new Great Stories Club (GSC) series inspired by their Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Framework. To learn more about the TRHT Framework and download a copy of the Kellogg Foundation's TRHT Implementation Guidebook, visit http://healourcommunities.org/.

In 2018 and 2019, ALA will offer 100 grants to libraries on the following related themes, as part of the TRHT series. To learn more, visit the ALA website.

Deeper Than Our Skins: The Present is a Conversation with the Past
Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power
Growing Up Brave: Courage and Coming of Age

TRHT Glossary

Vital to discussing the complex issues of race is a common vocabulary that helps prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations. Words can have different meanings to different people based on their experiences. The concepts and phrases in the TRHT Glossary can help avoid misunderstandings. While not everyone may agree on the definition of each word, a common understanding of how words are being used in particular circumstances can help more productive conversations to take place.

Resources on Structural Racism

One of the goals of the TRHT GSC is for all participating library workers, community partners, and teen readers to see a role for themselves in shifting structural racism within their communities and beyond. The following readings provide information about structural racism and are strongly recommended for TRHT GSC program staff.

About Racial Healing Circles

Libraries that receive a grant to implement one of the Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation will convene racial healing circles with their teen readers. To support this activity, grantees will participate in a racial healing circle during the two-day project orientation workshop; receive a grant stipend of $1,200 to cover expenses for an experienced facilitator to co-present a circle(s) with their GSC readers; and receive ongoing networking and peer support through the project's cohort of grantees.

Before applying for the GSC's Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation series, applicants are advised to review the following.

"Restoring to Wholeness," a publication from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, can help you understand more about what racial healing is and what racial healing circles can help you achieve in your program. As you consider this content, you may wish to consider how you will sequence healing circles in the context of your overall reading and discussion program series and how you will advocate for inclusion of this work when speaking with library administration and partner organization staff.
As further context, you may wish to access the archived Webinar "Preparing to Implement Effective Racial Healing Circles," download the transcript, or review the related post-webinar Q&A provided by the presenters.
Librarian and GSC project director Kristy Gale shared her experience on The Seattle Public Library's University Branch Teen Book Club Blog. As one of 25 libraries to pilot a TRHT series, Seattle Public Library held a racial healing circle at the Interagency Academy at the University District Youth Center. Applicants may wish to review this first-hand experience when planning their own library's programs.

Connecting with a Circle Facilitator

When applying for a Great Stories Club grant for the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation series, the applicant library is encouraged to identify an eligible racial healing practitioner / racial healing circle facilitator. A programming stipend of $1,200 will be provided to cover related expenses.

If you require assistance connecting with a practitioner/facilitator, please consider contacting the following organizations that may be able to help you. Library staff and others who have undertaken racial healing circle facilitator training/preparation are eligible for this role.

TRHT Campus Centers

Austin Community College (TX)
Brown University (RI)
Duke University (NC)
Hamline University (MN) (https://www.hamline.edu/offices/provost/truth-racial-healing-and-transformation/)
Millsaps College (MS)
Rutgers University–Newark (NJ) (https://www.trhtcenterinnewark.org/)
Spelman College (GA)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina (SC)
University of Hawai'i at MaÌ„noa (HI)
University of Maryland Baltimore County (MD) (https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/race-equity-inclusion-justice/posts/73288)

TRHT Places

Selma, AL (Black Belt Community Foundation) (http://blackbeltfound.org/cause/trht-selma/thrt-selma-blog/)
State of Alaska (First Alaskans Institute) (https://firstalaskans.org/)
Los Angeles, CA (Southern California Grantmakers) (https://www.socalgrantmakers.org/)
Greater Chicago, IL (Woods Fund of Chicago/The Chicago Community Trust) (https://www.woodsfund.org/about-foundation/truth-racial-healing-and-transformation-greater-chicago)
Baton Rouge & New Orleans, LA (Foundation for Louisiana) (https://trht.foundationforlouisiana.org/)
Flint, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, & Lansing MI (Council of Michigan Foundations) (https://www.michiganfoundations.org/)
Saint Paul, MN (Saint Paul Foundation) (https://www.saintpaulfoundation.org/)
Buffalo, NY (Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo) (http://www.cfgb.org/)
Dallas, TX (Communities Foundation of Texas) (https://dallastrht.org/)
Richmond, VA (Initiatives of Change, Inc.) (https://greaterrva.org/)

Other TRHT-affiliated Racial Healing Practitioners

Email publicprograms@ala.org for a contact list
National Indian Child Welfare Association: https://www.nicwa.org/

Additional Funding Sources

Should you require additional support for your TRHT GSC program series, the following organizations may be a possible source of funding.

Federation of State Humanities Councils (http://www.statehumanities.org/the-state-humanities-councils/find-a-state-council/)
State and Regional Arts Organizations (https://www.arts.gov/partners/state-regional)

Community Partner Organizations

The following national youth-focused organizations offer resources for connecting with a local affiliate to forge an eligible library outreach partnership. Many other types of local organizations and agencies are appropriate partners for the TRHT GSC as well. Please contact ALA if you have questions or would like feedback on a prospective partner organization's fit for the project.

4-H (https://4-h.org/find/)
Boys and Girls Clubs of America (https://www.bgca.org/)
Girls Inc. (https://girlsinc.org/)
NAACP (http://www.naacp.org/find-local-unit/)
The YMCA (http://www.ymca.net/find-a-y-camp/)
YWCA USA (https://secure2.convio.net/ywca/site/SPageServer;jsessionid=00000000.app20102b?pagename=YWCA_Map&NONCE_TOKEN=8FDA51CD023C1F3BD11404FACFFE6D17)

General Program Planning Resources

Tips on establishing a library outreach partnership
Sample project proposal form (Word doc)
Outreach programming in a juvenile justice facility
Ideas for convening a successful discussion program
Suggestions for managing challenges with reading level and engagement
Examples of successful GSC applications for a TRHT series (public library, academic library, school library)

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