Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee, formed in 2006, supports children’s literature scholarship on issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. The committee encourages a range of critical perspectives on diversity subjects and fosters dialogue about the role of cultural, ethnic, economic, physical, sexual, and gendered identities in children’s texts and in children’s studies as a field. The committee works to recruit and retain scholars interested in diversity studies. The committee sponsors a panel annually at the Association's conference and offers an informational web page and a listserv to discuss diversity issues.  

The committee also oversees the Diversity Research Grant, which supports research on children's and young adult cultural artifacts about populations that have been underrepresented or marginalized culturally and/or historically. 

Composition of the Committee:

The Diversity Committee consists of five rotating elected members serving three-year terms and a chair appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board. Terms begin immediately following the ChLA annual business meeting.

Committee Members:

Chair: Kate Capshaw, University of Connecticut, 2023-2026
Taraneh Matloob, University of Northern Iowa, 2022-2025
Jesus Montano, Baylor University, 2022-2025
Sabrina Carnesi, University of Washington, 2023-2026
Gabriela Lee, University of Pittsburgh, 2023-2026
Anh Le, University of Connecticut, 2024-2027 

ChLA Board Liaison:

Roberta Gardner, Kennesaw State University 

Files to download:
Diversity Committee Strategic Plan 2019-2023 (pdf)