The committee created and distributed the survey in November, a week prior to NCTE, and analyzed the results in December. The survey gathered and analyzed information from the CLA membership about career role and stage, education level, age, gender identity, languages read and/or spoken, race and ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, and other identity information individual members wanted to share. The survey also asked about members’ experience and interests in children’s literature, ways CLA could be more accessible, suggestions for CLA to be more welcoming to diverse groups of people, and suggestions for improving the survey. Results were shared with the executive board. Stay tuned for next steps to help the organization determine ways to better support its DEI commitment!

Per our CLA charge, committee members continued the work begun in 2023 to create one-page guidance documents to help other CLA committees to support DEI goals in their own work. We hope to finalize these one-pagers and distribute them soon. 

To support educators’ work to promote social justice with diverse books, committee members shared a list of personally recommended books that foster DEI work through the CLA Blog. The post Sharing Books We “Love” to Support On-Going Work During Troubling Times was published in February 2023. Be on the lookout for personal “loves” from this year’s committee.

Miriam Martinez is a Professor Emerita of Literacy Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is chair of CLA's endowment committee. 

Jennifer Slagus (they/she) is a doctoral candidate at Brock University in Ontario, Canada and a Visiting Assistant Librarian at the University of South Florida. They are the Chair of the CLA Student Committee.​

References
Gleason, G. (1975, March). Reprise. CLA Newsletter, 1(1), 1–4.

McClure, A. (2015). The Children’s Literature Assembly: 40 years of passionate commitment to children and their books. Journal of Children’s Literature, 41(2), 69–76.

Boston, Massachusetts, "The Walking City." When NCTE announced their conference location this year, my heart leaped. Walking has always been my meditation, my way of processing the world one step at a time. That was until October 17th, when a car struck me in a crosswalk while walking my dog. While he emerged unscathed , I found myself navigating an unexpected landscape of fear and, surprisingly, profound gratitude.
 
There's a particular kind of fear that settles into your bones after an accident – the kind that makes you flinch at passing headlights and hold your breath at every intersection or car honking. But there's also a particular kind of healing that happens when you're surrounded by a community of literature teachers, those who understand that every human story carries both shadow and light.
 
This isn't a story about toxic positivity or rushing past the hard parts. Instead, it's about the way words and people can hold us when we're broken, how literacy becomes a bridge back to ourselves and each other. It feels fitting that NCTE's theme this year is "Heart, Hope, and Humanity" – three things I've found in abundance in my academic family. And so, I’d like to use this word-count to express my thanks to those who have had a pivotal role in reigniting my excitement to attend the conference this year.
 
To Dr. Angela Wiseman: You've taught me that vulnerability isn't just about being seen – it's about creating spaces where others feel brave enough to be seen too. Your brilliance is matched only by your compassion, and you've shown me how to wear both with grace.
 
To Dr. Crystal Chen Lee: You embody what it means to create belonging. Your heart-centered approach to scholarship reminds me daily that academic work is, at its core, human work.
 
To Samantha Duke: In letting me step back, you've helped me step forward. You've shown me that control isn't always about holding on – sometimes it's about trusting enough to let go.
 
To Callie Hammond: In your understanding, I've found reflection. In your friendship, I've found refuge.
 
As I prepare to walk the streets of Boston (more cautiously now, but still determined), I'm reminded of why we teach literature in the first place. We teach it because stories help us make sense of our wounds and our wonders. We teach it because every student carries within them a universe of potential, waiting to be recognized and realized.

When we dream about change, we're really dreaming about connection – the kind I've found in this community of literacy teachers and readers of the world who rallied around me. They remind me that education at its best is an act of hope, a belief that through words and understanding, we can build something better than what we inherited.

So thank you to these women, these scholars, these keepers of stories and hope. Through you, I've learned that our strongest moments often come not in our independence, but in the gentle acceptance of our interconnectedness. I cannot wait to walk the streets of Boston with you!

 Visit our Art Auction page for a better view of the stunning pieces of artwork that could be yours and to read their individual descriptions!

* Listed alphabetically.

Official Session Link: Children’s Literature Assembly Expert Class: Exploring Heart & Hope with Biographies