Greater Decatur, GA — A Towers High School librarian, Djeneba Muhammad, has won a grant to travel to the American Library Association conference.

“The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce the first recipients of the Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster Travel Grants. Established in 2022, the grants are intended to support ALA’s work of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the library field,” the press release from ALA says. “The grant will cover the expenses of five Black or African American youth or teen services librarians or school librarians/media specialists who work in either public or school libraries. Recipients will receive up to $3,000 (and not less than $1,500) to pay for expenses related to attending the ALA Annual Conference including but not limited to travel, housing, registration, and a ticket to the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table Breakfast.”

Muhammad said it’s, “imperative to have a great foundation.”

“I believe Valdosta State set me up, but this conference will land me in the actual world of ‘Librarian-ism’. By attending this ALA Conference, I will be around my tribe,” she said.

Being present at the conference will afford Muhammad “the opportunity to learn more about advocacy as well as library policies and best practices.” Muhammad hopes to gain “insight/ direction towards [her] goal and focus of creating diversity in library collections,” the press release says.

“I want to be the change I see in the (Library) world, and attending the ALA conference will help me do just that,” she said.

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