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Writing on Race and Identity

Join the Library for a timely and thoughtful panel on race and identity with writers Sonja Cherry-Paul, Tricia Ebarvia, Glory Edim, Frederick Joseph and Amina Luqman-Dawson.

As part of the 2022 Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy (IREL), you are invited to join the DC Public Library, DC Public Library Foundation for a timely and thoughtful discussion with five incredible writers and activists who explore issues of race in their work, Sonja Cherry-Paul (Stamped: For Kids), Tricia Ebarvia (Co-Founder of #DisruptTexts), Glory Edim (Well-Read Black Girl), Frederick Joseph (The Black Friend) and Amina Luqman-Dawson (Freewater). The theme for the 2022 institute is, Interrogating Internalized Racism in Ourselves and in Our Practice and it focuses on the ways in which racism lives in all of us. By identifying our own personal relationships with race and racism, we can then disrupt and dismantle the ways that our literacy practices may harm students and work towards a liberatory personal and professional approach to learning.

In this conversation, the panelists will explore their relationship with race and identity and how it shapes the different kinds of creative work they produce, from podcasts to novels to op-eds and more. 

Limited FREE copies of each of the panelists' and institute organizer's books listed below will be available for participants to take home and add to their home libraries! A book signing with the authors will follow the event. 

• The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph
• Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
• On Girlhood by Glory Edim
• Stamped (For Kids) - Sonja Cherry-Paul, Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds

Panel Bios

Sonja Cherry-Paul

Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul’s research and work stem from an unyielding commitment to anti-bias and antiracist pedagogy and practices. She has taught middle school students for twenty years and develops curricula that centers the work of racial literacy in K-12 schools. As the co-founder of the Race Matters Committee in her former school district, Sonja spotlighted and centered issues related to race and racism and provided faculty and staff with the language and tools to facilitate conversations with students about race. Sonja has adapted the #1 New York Times Best Seller Stamped (For Kids), published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, which has earned starred reviews by Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was selected as one of the best nonfiction/informational books of 2021 by Parents Magazine, School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, and the Chicago Public Library. She is the co-author of four books published by Heinemann: Teaching Interpretation: Using Text-Based Evidence to Construct Meaning (2014), Flip Your Writing Workshop: A Blended Learning Approach (2016), Breathing New Life into Book Clubs: A Practical Guide for Teachers (2019) and Critical Literacy: Unlocking Contemporary Fiction.

Tricia Ebarvia

A co-founder of #DisruptTexts and co-founder/director of the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy (IREL), Tricia Ebarvia advocates for literacy instruction rooted in equity and liberation through critical literacy. An educator with more than 20 years of classroom experience, she is currently the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at an independent school in Philadelphia. Previously, Tricia taught and served as department chairperson at a large public high school where she taught courses in American literature, AP Language, and AP Literature. A National Writing Project teacher consultant (West Chester Writing Project), Tricia also serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Antiracist Education (CARE). She is the recipient of the 2021 Divergent Award for Excellence in Literacy Advocacy, as well as the NCTE High School Teacher of Excellence award. Tricia’s work has been featured in various publications and academic journals and the author of a forthcoming professional book on anti-bias literacy instruction. Follow her @triciaebarvia and at triciaebarvia.org.

Glory Edim

Glory Edim is the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, a podcast and digital platform that celebrates the uniqueness of Black literature and sisterhood. She edited the Well-Read Black Girl anthology in 2018, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. She was the 2017 winner of the Innovator's Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes and has worked as a cultural practitioner for over ten years. She serves on the board of Baldwin for the Arts and New York City's Housing Works Bookstore. She currently resides in Washington D.C. with her son, Zik. 

Frederick Joseph

Frederick Joseph is an activist, a philanthropist with over 10 years of marketing experience, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Black Friend and the forthcoming title Better Than We Found It. An award-winning marketing professional and media representation advocate, Joseph has been recognized for the International Literacy Association’s 2021 Children’s & Young Adults’ Book Award and was named in 2019 to Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In his new personal and poignant collection, Patriarchy Blues (Harper Perennial), Joseph examines the culture of masculinity through the lens of a Black man.

Amina Luqman-Dawson

Amina Luqman-Dawson loves using writing to tell stories and to build an understanding of race, culture and community. Her published writing includes op-eds in newspapers such as the Washington Post, magazine articles, travel writing and book reviews.  She’s authored the pictorial history book Images of America: African Americans of Petersburg (Arcadia Publishing). She’s worked as a policy professional, researcher and consultant on issues of education and criminal justice. She has a BA in Political Science from Vassar College and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley. Freewater is her debut novel. The novel has received critical acclaim including 5-starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Horn Book, School Library Connection and BookPage. Freewater was recognized by Entertainment Weekly Magazine as a Black History Month pick. Freewater was also featured on NPR’s nationally syndicated program Here and Now.  Amina is a proud mother of a 13-year-old son.  She, her husband and son reside in Arlington, VA.

This event is made possible with the generous support of the DC Public Library Foundation. 

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