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 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. The Diversity Committee also administers the June Cummins Diversity Conference Travel Grant and the BIPOC Scholar Conference Award. Both grants support conference attendance of members of underrepresented and marginalized communities.

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: Jesus Montaño, Baylor University, 2026-2029
Anh Le, University of Connecticut, 2024-2027 
Edcel J. Cintron-Gonzalez, Illinois State University, 2025-2028
Sridipa Dandapat, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, 2025-2028
Shuya Su, University of Florida, 2026-2029
Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, 2026-2029

ChLA Board Liaison (VP/Ex-officio Member):

Cristina Rhodes, Shippensburg University, 2025-2026

ChLA Awards and Grants Coordinators:

Pete Kunze, Tulane University
Poushali Bhadury, Middle Tennessee State University
Gabrielle Atwood Halko, West Chester University