Indiana Humanities has awarded TSC high schools and middle schools an Advancing Racial Equity Collection Development grant. The media specialists at the schools will have $1,000 to spend on diverse titles for students and staff.

The grant will be used to add digital or physical resources (including books, films, or other materials) that address systemic racism, inequitable policing, and/or protest through a humanities lens. 

“Students need access to recently published works that present difficult race issues in an age-appropriate and accessible way,” says Middle School Media and Instructional Technology Specialist Alicia Spray. “Obtaining this grant allows us to create a collection in our middle school libraries that is more inclusive and representative of our student population in the TSC.”

“I feel that students are seeking information about diversity more so now than ever and it is our job as educators to provide them with information and resources to help guide them in the right direction,” says High School Media and Instructional Technology Specialist Kerry Yoder. “We have always done our best to purchase diverse titles but this grant will allow us to purchase a large number of titles from diverse authors covering racial inequity at one time and then feature this collection to our students and staff.”

At the middle schools, the books will be featured during student book talks, which will open the door for respectful and open dialogue in the classroom. “Students, teachers, counselors and administrators will be able to use those conversations to create a school culture that is welcoming for people of all backgrounds,” Spray says.

The schools will purchase physical books, eBooks, Audiobooks and DVDs that we will use to advance racial equity in our collections. “My goal is to use these titles to educate our students about racial inequity and guide them in a direction away from hate and towards acceptance and inclusion,” says Yoder.

This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities with funds from Lilly Endowment Inc.