ALA Announces Recipients of the 2025 Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster Travel Grant

The American Library Association is pleased to announce the selection of five recipients of the 2025 Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster Travel Grant. Established in 2022, the grants are intended to support ALA’s work of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the library field.

The grant will cover the expenses of five (5) Black/African American youth or teen services librarians or school librarians/media specialists who work in either public or school libraries. Recipients will receive up to $3000 (and not less than $1,500) to pay for expenses related to attending the ALA Annual Conference including (but not limited to) travel, housing, registration, and a ticket to the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table Breakfast.

Jason Reynolds, one of the grant’s namesakes, is excited about the selection of these recipients and commented, “It’s an honor to award these five librarians with this year’s travel grant. Though grants are often seen as gifts, to me, this is an investment in the possibilities of these dedicated public servants, so that they may deposit even greater investments in their communities. And that’s a gift to us all.”

The recipients, who were selected by ALA representatives, will be acknowledged on Sunday, June 29, 2025, during the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table Breakfast (CSKBART) at the 2025 American Library Association (ALA) Conference in Philadelphia. Grants are funded by Simon & Schuster and administered by ALA.

Recipients of this year’s travel grants include the following people.

Shani Boyd

Shani Boyd currently works as a Children’s Librarian at the César E. Chávez Branch of the Oakland Public Library (California). Boyd believes that it is her “responsibility to stay informed about resources available to support public libraries, committees organizing within ALA, and to share the knowledge attained with other professionals and the community she serves.” Commenting on challenges her community currently faces, Boyd said, “As a Black librarian serving an urban and immigrant community, I recognize the importance of community.” Boyd is excited about the possibility of attending the ALA Annual Conference and believes it will “provide her with an opportunity to connect with other librarians in similar situations, while affording her the experience of learning about various solutions to challenges.”

LuToria Brickhouse

LuToria Brickhouse currently works as a Librarian at Lewisville Elementary School (Lewisville, Texas). Brickhouse says that “the majority of the students I serve are Hispanic/Latino and Black, who deserve a library that reflects and supports their diverse backgrounds and experiences.” Brickhouse believes that attendance at the ALA Annual Conference will offer her a “unique opportunity to engage with innovative people with creative ideas, sharing best practices tailored to diverse educational environments” such the one where she works. She hopes that attendance at the conference will “allow her to expand her knowledge and skills in a way that will better equip her in creating a welcoming and supportive environment that encourages her students to explore, learn, create and grow emotionally and academically.”

Keyetta Mathis

Keyetta Mathis currently works as a Librarian at the Alice W. Douse Elementary School (Killeen, TX). Mathis is thrilled about the possibility of attending the ALA Annual Conference. She commented that “attending the conference is an incredible opportunity for me as a school librarian to grow professionally and better serve my students and community.” But its more than that for Mathis. She says, “the conference is not just about professional development; it’s about inspiration.” Mathis expects her attendance at the conference to be a “transformative experience ─providing valuable strategies for enhancing student engagement, building inclusive collections, and integrating technology into learning, while also offering a unique chance to connect with fellow librarians, exchange ideas, and gain practical insights that I can immediately apply to improve our library programs and services.”

Lauren Mobley

Lauren Mobley currently works as a Media Education and Technology Instructor at the Promise Career Institute (Jonesboro, GA). Working at a new career pathway magnet high school which is designed to prepare students for high-demand, high-paying careers, Mobley says she is “desperate to learn innovative programming that will impact my school community.” Mobley believes that her attendance at the ALA Annual Conference will allow her to “learn new strategies to help my students and teachers as readers, thinkers, and creators.” She “strives to create an inclusive collection that reflects my school.” Mobley wants to “be confident regarding legislation and policies to protect my students’ freedom to read.” For Mobley, the ALA Annual Conference is “a hub for ideas, practices, and programs that will enhance my pedagogy and ultimately improve my school and community.”

Nicholas Moore

Nicholas Moore currently works as a School Library Media Specialist at the Powder Springs Elementary/Cobb County School District (Powder Springs, GA). Before serving in this role, Moore worked as a fifth-grade teacher. Commenting on his current role, Moore said, “I am a young, Black, male, first-year, school library media specialist in a K5 school. I am slowly adjusting to transitioning into this practice.” Because the student population at his school has had inconsistency (having had three Media Specialists within four years, where one of those years there was no Media Specialist at all), Moore believes his role is critical to the success of the students. Moore stated, “I am continuously fighting for teachers to see the importance of a librarian, as well as supporting students in developing a love for reading.” Moore is eager to attend the ALA Annual Conference, commenting, “I know that attending a conference of such magnitude with professionals from various expertise will help build my bank of lessons, strategies, and ideas to develop a learning commons that will be perfect for our school.” Moore has specific goals in mind for his students and the library. He said, “My vision for our library space is to maintain a modern environment that supports curiosity, positively influences students' reading interests, and helps students embrace technology to enhance learning. We have a lot of growth to make, and I know it will take time. This is why attending the conference will help direct me on the right path of building a successful Learning Commons that supports my staff, students, and families.”

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For nearly 150 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.

About Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors, a Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu, and Coach); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Stuntboy, In-Between Time; Miles Morales Suspended; Ain’t Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...; and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. His debut picture book, There Was a Party for Langston, won a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.