Diverse Books for a Diverse School

Being a new librarian and new to my school as well, I've been slowly wiggling my way into different classrooms and trying to show people just what librarians these days are about.  It's been a lot of hard work fun getting to know new people and collaborating with all of the different grade levels versus the two or three that I was working with previously.  Well recently, two different grade level teachers at my school approached me and said they wanted to collaborate on projects that revolve around Black History Month.  They both (separately) said that they know their students all have learned about the most famous African-Americans that we study in school (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, George Washington Carver, etc.), but really wanted their kids to branch out a bit and learn about some other notable African-Americans.  Their ultimate goal was to expose them to more culture and more diversity through books and research. 

As we went through our planning meetings and began the division of labor I started trying to find books in my library.  I will say we do have some good books with diverse characters or even about some notable people, but I was kind of surprised that we didn't have more.  I work in a pretty urban school with a fair mix of diversity.  We are also an IB school that celebrates and focuses on other cultures and diversity, so I really thought we'd  be better stocked. I want to be the kind of librarian that the kids automatically know is looking out for them and I want them to feel like they see themselves in the books they read. 

I started digging around some more to try and find some resources and ran across a site I had seen before, but had completely forgotten about.  I am so glad I found it again.  We Need Diverse Books is an AWESOME site that adamantly advocates for the need for diverse literature in our schools.  They have information on programs and resources and even ways to get involved.  I know what I'm doing over the next few weeks.  A little research, a little ordering, and BAM!  Diverse books for a diverse school.