Speak Up, Speak Out!
Stella Hine is site librarian at Brinsbury College, part of the Chichester College group, and is an incoming CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway judge. Here she talks to Amy McKay, School Librarian and National Coordinator for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal, about her career, Black Lives Matter and her thoughts on how the library profession can support change.
Growing up
Growing up in Lewes in East Sussex, Stella was a Black child in a White family. “I didn’t really mix with other Black people until I went to university. I always felt White and it wasn’t until I went to Nigeria that I felt I really grew into myself.”
After working as a teacher in Nigeria for 15 years, Stella returned to the UK, and says: “I have been shocked and startled by how little has changed since the 1970s when I was out on the streets with my placards, demonstrating against Apartheid. It’s astonishing that my daughter is now facing similar issues around systemic racism. Straddling both Black and White communities, I feel I’m able to speak up and as a Carnegie and Kate Greenaway judge I have an audience to use my voice.”
A time for change
Seeing the Bristol-based statue of slaver Edward Colston dismantled sent a shiver down Stella’s spine. She said: “I in no way condone violence, but what speaks to me is the absolute rage and fury that people are feeling. If we are able to channel and utilise that in a positive way perhaps now is the time when a positive change can happen.”
Blowing my mind
Unconscious bias training made a big impression on Stella when she undertook this in 2019. It was the first time in her career she had encountered a Black trainer.
“The training I did has opened my mind. It blew my mind!” she said. “I
28 PEN&INC.
straddle two worlds, but succeeded in a white environment because that’s my upbringing and that’s what I know. I question my own attitudes and I’ve recognised I’ve had some ugly attitudes. A couple of hours of training doesn’t cut it. It has to be ongoing. It felt really positive to have someone from HR on the course because of the importance of recruitment. Policies need to be looked at to make sure obstacles are removed. If you are going to be representative there does have to be some positive discrimination even if only for a set period of time.”
Next steps on book choices “It starts with a basic respect for people,” Stella explains. “The benefits are immense and it isn’t that hard. People are afraid to lose what they’ve got without realising what could be had. What we need are materials specific to our situation. Darren Chetty’s work is a good place to start and he recommends some amazing resources – follow @rapclassroom and visit https://bit. ly/2XRRk3N.
“Social media is changing the game with its interconnectedness. There are groups on social media about the Black Curriculum, I would use those to inform acquisition choices. Follow @curriculumblack and visit
www.theblackcurriculum.com. If you have to do it by stealth because the curriculum hasn’t changed, so be it.”
Plugging gaps
“The other thing is to ‘surface’ fiction for protected characteristics to find what fiction we have for students who are part of BAME community, with gender considerations
Amy McKay.
and sexuality. We thought once we’ve done that we will try to plug the gaps. Would students from Nigeria want to look up books about Nigeria? Absolutely! “Our stock was thin in areas, this helped identify gaps. It was a good starting point and low cost. Purchasing and acquisitions are key. I spent time looking for black equestrians, black horticulturists to embed these. You can’t just explore Black History
Spring-Summer 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
