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Dean’s welcome

As a child, I loved all libraries—our neighborhood public library where I would bring home stacks of books and my elementary school library where the librarian recommended books to each of us. In third grade, I was drawn to the “blue” biographies about famous people, and I particularly loved reading the stories of women who went on brave adventures or accomplished seemingly impossible tasks. I liked to imagine what adventures I might take or what important work I might attempt. Of course, now I can see that most, if not all, of the people featured were white and famous in conventional ways. There were so many people and stories missing from my education.

Today, there are people across the nation who want to go back to this time by removing from libraries and classrooms books that don't tell a narrow, false story of this country in fiction and nonfiction. At the same time, despite political pressure to ban books, whitewash history or control curriculum, educators and youth are fighting to teach the truth and to develop curricula that affirm the lives of the children in their classrooms. As a school, we work to support these teachers and youth with the resources and knowledge they need to teach in an anti-racist and culturally affirming manner.

In this issue of Voices, you’ll read about how the mounting pressure on educators and community leaders has failed to thwart their efforts to teach in a just and equitable way. You will read about a new teacher’s unit on love in literature and life, Ruben Donato’s work with community leaders unearthing Colorado’s school segregation case that went unnoticed for nearly a century, and more. I hope you will find the stories as inspiring as I did.

While we continue to live in challenging times, we have so much to be grateful for every day. We’ve begun the second phase of our building renovations thanks to the generosity of the university, alumni and donors. Our community is appreciative of our new classrooms and public spaces to gather, learn and be together.

I hope this issue finds you cherishing the things that bring you joy. Please visit us next time you’re on campus or share a favorite book through email or a phone call. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly,

Kathy Schultz, Dean and Professor