Race & Social Equity Resources | Chatham Area Public Library

Public libraries serve as trusted institutions grounded in social responsibility and the public good. In recognition of this, the Chatham Area Public Library Board of Trustees approved our signing onto the Urban Libraries Council Statement on Race and Social Equity, which commits the Chatham Area Public Library to:

Eliminating racial and social equity barriers in library programs, services, policies and practices
Creating and maintaining an environment of diversity, inclusion and respect both in our library systems and in all aspects of our community role
Ensuring that we are reaching and engaging disenfranchised people in the community and helping them express their voice
Serving as a convener and facilitator of conversations and partnerships to address community challenges
Being forthright on tough issues that are important to our communities

The work toward racial justice and the advancement of equity for everyone can start with a book, an article, a film, or an idea. Our library collection offers patrons new perspectives and experiences on race, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ability, culture, language, geographic origin, level of education, religion, age, and size. The curated resources from our catalog below may help guide your exploration and action around race, justice, and equity.

Recently Published Recommended Books for Kids

a girl with beautiful hair sitting on a man's shoulders

A young girl holds a flower and there is a butterfly in the corner

An illustrated boy wearing a green stocking cap is thinking of doodles

A girl in a blue hijab that turns into an ocean, while another girl is on a boat on the ocean a

A black man holding a girl's hand, leading a diverse group of kids across a cross walk

Title written in red amongst stars and planets with 3 kids playing in a box "spaceship" below.

a cute girl in winter clothes places a box of food into a grocery cart

two small bees drop rose petals around 2 worms staring at each other

A boy dressed as a knight parades in front of a large brick wall with the title of the book on his sign. Reaching one arm over the wall is a giant.

Classic Recommended Books for Kids

a little boy holding a woman's hand as they wait for the bus

One written in off white on a white cover with a blue fingerprint in the "O"

A white boy with a city background the title and then upside down underneath the title an Indian boy and an Indian background

A photo of a girl in a traditional hijab holding an apple with kids behind her picking apples from trees

The red crayon is coloring the top half of the cover blue. Five other color crayons wait below.

A girl with an afro and holding a book peeks in a door

a girl lying on pillows with a thermometer in her mouth covered in bright rainbow stripes

a girl holding a silver lantern in front of a golden-domed mosque

A woman in a red dress hugs a girl as they sit on the hood of an old-fashioned car

Recently Published Recommended Books for Teens

A teenage boy walks across a bridge with the city behind it

A black silhouette in the background with red stripes over it and a blue title over all

Two teenagers sit facing away from the reader towards an orange and black city landscape

The teenagers painted on the side of a house, the girl looking at a paper crane, a boy sitting and writing, and a boy looking discontent; all with a pile of real luggage in front of it

Cartoon depiction of a sad teenager with a shadow looking away

A dark city street with a girl lit walking under a streetlight

Title over a background of a large, blue sky, the American plains and a covered wagon leaving; all with a small section of the American flag at the bottom

A young Black woman stares out with a darkly colorful background; the white title is over all to the right

a blue green background with neon letters scribbled over to look like people in black with a social media heart 1 on top

Classic Recommended Books for Teens

A black teenage girl with jean shorts, tennis shoes, and natural hair holding up a large sign with the title of the book

A picture of an older mouse in a yellow coat and a younger in green with a black swastika and a Hitler-like cat face; and a blood red title

A black background with a falling toy Indian and cowboy

Tree limbs cut to look like a person's face with tape over the mouth; the title in yellow

The title on a beautiful green and brown background with the faint silhouette of a darker green tree.

A small boy atop a giant in plaid's shoulders.

An orange and light green background with a tree on it

a group of 3 Black children gathered together with flames in the background

A woman with an afro depicted in black and white against a warm colored artistic background

A large picture of Maya Angelou on an orange background with a purple vine along the edge

Recommended for Adults

Orange, yellow and red flames burn, beneath there is a small, black train with white smoke

The cover is mostly taken up by the title. There is a frame with 4 flowers in the corners and a tiny dog walking on the frame at the bottom

Colorful diamond pattern with an upside-down black and white picture in the middle of a person standing in a road

Pink background with a Black Barbie-like doll facing away from the reader

Multi-colored artistic background with the title in yellow over it

A blue background with a brown striped feather disintegrating into tiny birds flying away

a yellow fall leaf on a white background

a silhouette of a nine year old boy with a large backpack, filled in with a desert landscape with a moon and mountains in the distance

A young woman with honey colored skin, hoop earrings, dark lips, a white shirt and yellow hair with flowers in it, stares out at the reader

Multicolored swarms both make up and hide a Black woman's face

Recommended Resources

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center brings history, art and culture to you through innovative community-focused experiences.
Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History- A free course offered through Coursera.
Project Ready- A free online professional development curriculum
Code Switch NPR Podcast hosted by journalists of color. They explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between.
Springer Nature Black Lives Matter Collection- A collection of books, journal articles and magazine content that amplifies Black voices and the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum
National Museum of African American History & Culture - Talking About Race

Film Discussion Kits

Through our Film Discussion Kits, the Library hopes to support the community in exploring and discussing various social justice topics through documentary film viewings. Documentaries can bring issues and ideas nearer to their viewers, and discussions provide the opportunity to engage and connect with others around important issues.

Each Kit contains a DVD and discussion guide with questions, watch-alikes, and space for note taking. To read more about them check out our Library of Things page.