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: Michelle Pagni Stewart, Mt. San Jacinto College, 2021-2023
Emily Aguiló-Pérez, West Chester University, 2020-2023
Erica Kanesaka Kalnay, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2020-2023
Celeste Trimble, St. Martin's University, 2021-2024
Taraneh Matloob, University of Northern Iowa, 2022-2025
Jesus Montano, Hope College, 2022-2025

ChLA Board Liaison:

Cristina Rhodes, Shippensburg University, 2021-2022

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