Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power
Created by Susana M. Morris, Associate Professor of Literature, Media, and Communication at the Georgia Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Angelina M. Cortes, Sno-Isle Libraries; Joslyn Bowling Dixon, Oak Park Public Library; and Amira Shabana, Proviso East High School.
Timeline for 2023-2024 Grantees
Applications accepted online via ALA Apply: January 18 – March 15, 2023
Grant notification: May 1, 2023
Evaluation and Reporting Open Hours for grantees: July 20, 2023 at 1-2 PM Central Time (Note: watch 20-minute asynchronous webinar beforehand)
Theme Facilitation Webinar for "Finding Your Voice" grantees: July 25, 2023 at 12-2 PM Central Time
Online pre-program report (PDF preview) due via ALA Apply: August 1, 2023
Programming Term: August 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
Online final report (PDF preview) due via ALA Apply: June 28, 2024, or within 30 days of final program
Important Links for 2023-2024 Grantees
- Project Guidelines
- List of selected libraries
- ALA press release (published June 1, 2023)
- Asynchronous Evaluation and Reporting Webinar for grantees
- Evaluation and Reporting Webinar slides
- "Finding Your Voice" theme facilitation webinar recording
- "Finding Your Voice" theme facilitation webinar slideshow
About the theme
The old adage goes “children should be seen and not heard.” That conventional wisdom implies that speaking up and out is the exclusive realm of adults. It also suggests that children and young people don’t have important things to say — that they should stay out of adult conversation. The truth is that young people have been vital to making change by speaking and showing up in the face of adversity. Take Joan of Arc, for example. In 1429, while just 18 years old, she led a French army to the besieged city of Orléans in a victory over the English.
But we don’t have to go back to 15th-century France to find young heroes. On November 14, 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to integrate a white Southern elementary school. Her mother and U.S. marshals had to escort young Ruby to class because of violent mobs in her hometown of New Orleans. Bridges was born the same year that Brown v. Board of Education made “separate but equal” public spaces illegal, and her bravery was a milestone in the Civil Rights movement. There are countless examples of young people speaking out and taking a stand against injustice. Continue reading about this theme.
Reading List
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina
- Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
- Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
- American Street by Ibi Zoboi
- Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
Programming Materials
- Essay
- Discussion questions #1 (general questions)
- Discussion questions #2 (book-specific questions)
- Related reading list
- Certificate of achievement for participants (fillable PDF version)
- Certificate of achievement for participants (print and fill version)
- Certificate of appreciation for partners and supporters (fillable PDF version)
- Certificate of appreciation for partners and supporters (print and fill version)
- Webinar: Thematic overview and virtual programming tips, presented by Susana M. Morris (Georgia Institute of Technology, GA) and Ann Shilling (Washington County Free Library, MD)
Promotional Materials
- Poster (with printing crop marks)
- Poster (without printing crop marks)
- Bookmarks (with printing crop marks)
- Bookmarks (without printing crop marks)
- Web banner
- Sample media release form
- Sample press release
- Sample social media prompts and guidelines
See Also
- Tips for implementing a Great Stories Club program
- Tips for working with teen readers facing challenges with reading level and engagement (created for the GSC series “Structures of Suffering”)
- YALSA Research into Resources on Supporting Youth Affected by Trauma
The "Finding Your Voice" theme was part of the Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation originally created with funding received from the Kellogg Foundation. Visit the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Great Stories Club page for more information about the TRHT iteration of the project.