WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE? 7 and it helps children to build stronger relationships, succeed at school, and create and achieve goals. Children begin to be able to connect with their own feelings, go from intention to action, and make decisions about what matters most to them (Segal, 2021). Either way it creates an atmosphere of good communication and understanding, which progresses to unity, equity, and community empowerment over time. In the following chapters, we will discuss the importance of incorporat- ing social justice at storytime into your repertoire to help cultivate positive communication and collaboration as outlined in the 21st Century Skills concept noted by Stauffer (2021) in order to fully participate in today’s global community. We will also discuss how to implement social justice at storytime as well as the components that make up the storytimes. Further- more, we will show you how to use what you already know and provide sample storytimes, book lists, and suggestions. Finally, we will discuss how to address concerns from management or the community you work with, as well as other topics relevant to the issue and what comes next. For some marginalized groups, libraries have historically exhibited unfair treatment by creating barriers to access, whether it was access to materials or even entering the building. Because of this there is a level of generational dis- trust, and libraries have to continue to build community trust. The Ameri- can Library Association stated that a way to “make the library more inviting is to understand that not everyone comes from the same level of privilege and/or oppression to acknowledge the intersectionality of staff and patrons which includes displaying materials related to social move- ments, creating identity displays (National Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Black History Month, etc.), providing resources for staff/patrons who have visible and non-visible disabilities, and provid- ing programming surrounding identities (mental illnesses, cultural, sexu- ality, etc.)” (American Library Association, 2019). It is important to remember as we journey through Social Justice at Sto- rytime that defining social justice is not enough to help bring about social awareness rather, engaging through participation is what will start to pro- mote social change both individually and collectively. REFERENCES Adams, M., Bell, L. A., Goodman, D. J., & Joshi, K. Y. (2016). Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (3rd ed.). Routledge. American Library Association. (2019, January). Hateful Conduct in Libraries: Meeting Community Needs. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/hatefulconduct/community
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