Libraries celebrate diversity, promote multicultural literacy
Libraries celebrate diversity, promote multicultural literacy
Join Día! Diversity in Action on April 30
CHICAGO, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Our nation’s libraries are committed to providing multilingual and multicultural resources and materials that meet the needs of a diverse population. On Thursday, April 30, families, children and communities will celebrate our country’s rich cultural heritage during Día! Diversity in Action. Hundreds of public and school libraries will host multicultural celebrations, including family programs, bilingual story hours, book giveaways and other literacy events for children and their families.
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Día! Diversity in Action, also known as El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), is a celebration every day of children and families and reading that culminates annually on April 30. Día! Diversity in Action is an opportunity for libraries around the country to connect children and families to multicultural books, bilingual services, educational resources, and support the need for children and families to have access to materials that mirror their culture, as well as provide a window to others.
Even though the diversity of our country continues to grow, the percentage of children’s books released each year either by a person of color or with a multicultural theme has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 20 years. Experts say a lack of diversity in children’s books can be harmful to the social and identity development of children, particularly those representing cultures with untold stories. Literacy depends on children’s desire to read. It is critical to provide access to and awareness of books that mirror their culture and language.
“Libraries and librarians play an important role in family literacy and multicultural awareness,” said Association for Library Service to Children President Ellen Riordan. “Día! Diversity in Action shows how recognizing and respecting culture, heritage and language can be powerful tools for strengthening families and communities.”
Parents, caregivers and teachers can also celebrate Día! Diversity in Action at home or in their classrooms with free bilingual book lists and activities at http://dia.ala.org.
Día! Diversity in Action is sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, and is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925. Children’s Day was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children. In 1996, nationally acclaimed children’s book author Pat Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy thus the inception of El día de los niños/El día de los libros.
Through a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) continues to increase public awareness of the event in libraries throughout the country. ALSC is collaborating on this effort with Día’s Founder, Pat Mora; and Founding Partner of Día, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA).
For book lists and additional information on Día! Diversity in Action please visit http://dia.ala.org. For information on local events contact your local library, or visit http://cs.ala.org/websurvey/alsc/dia/map.cfm.
About the Association for Library Service to Children
ALSC, a division of ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit their website at www.ala.org/alsc.
About Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for nearly 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 11,000 stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.
About REFORMA
Established in 1971 as an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), REFORMA has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish-language and Latino oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share our goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population in regards to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resource centers serving the interests of Latinos.
DiversityInc Unveils the 2015 Top 50 Companies for Diversity
NEW YORK, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Diversity and inclusion’s keystone event in America took place at Cipriani Wall Street Thursday evening, as DiversityInc announced the 2015 Top 50 Companies for Diversity in front of more than 900 senior executives. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation remained at the top of the rankings for their second year, while Kaiser Permanente jumped two spots to come in second. PricewaterhouseCoopers, EY, Sodexo, MasterCard Worldwide, AT&T, Prudential Financial, Johnson & Johnson, and Procter & Gamble rounded out the top 10. MassMutual Financial Group and Hilton Worldwide were both newcomers to the list this year.
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“With more than 1000 companies participating, the competition for a spot on the DiversityInc Top 50 and Specialty Lists was up over 30% this year,” said DiversityInc Founder and CEO Luke Visconti. “Companies are recognizing the importance of diversity for corporate reputation – which directly effects millennial-generation recruiting and retention. And whether you’re talking about Silicon Valley, Ferguson, or Indiana, there’s no denying that stories about how far we still need to come regarding diversity have been dominating the headlines in 2015.”
DiversityInc Top 50 companies have significantly more diversity than average American corporations. Compared with EEOC statistics, Top 50 companies have 20% more Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in management, and 13% more women. In the Top 10 the contrast is even sharper, with 41% more Blacks, Latinos, and Asians, and 46% more women than US corporate average. This year, for the first time, the National Organization on Disability tracker was required for the Top 10 Disabilities list.
CNBC covered the DiversityInc Top 50 event and provided the stock market econometric evaluation. “The Top 50 list outperformed the market on a short and long-term basis – which has been the case over the past several years. This shows evidence of the link between excellence in diversity management and superior corporate governance,” said Visconti.
Any company with over one thousand U.S.-based employees is eligible to enter, and there is no cost to compete. Each company’s rank is based on objective analysis of 183 separate factors, based on data from a 300-question survey. The four equally weighted areas of measurement include Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent Development, CEO/Leadership Commitment, and Supplier Diversity.
“We are extremely honored to be recognized by DiversityInc as the top ranked company for a second year in a row,” said Christi Shaw, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and US Country Head, Novartis Corporation. “For us, Diversity & Inclusion are an important part of our culture and strategic business focus. Fostering an environment where authenticity and collaboration can flourish enables us to drive future breakthroughs and innovations that help patients live fuller, healthier lives.”
The announcement dinner included a keynote address from Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., whose Rainbow PUSH Coalition has been calling on the tech industry to embrace more diversity as a business opportunity.
DiversityInc also released 13 lists for the following select specialty areas:
- 25 Noteworthy Companies
- Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees (Wells Fargo, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity (AT&T, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities (EY, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Recruitment (PricewaterhouseCoopers, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Mentoring (EY, No. 1)
- Top 5 Utilities (Ameren, No. 1)
- Top 10 Regional Companies (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Veterans (Northrop Grumman Corporation, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity (IBM, No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Employee Resource Groups (Merck & Co., No. 1)
- Top 10 Companies for Diversity Councils (EY, No. 1)
- Top 5 Hospitals and Health Systems (Henry Ford Health System, No. 1)
For the entire Top 50 list, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/top50 or follow the conversation online with the hashtag #DITop50.
The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity Announcement Dinner was made possible thanks to the following sponsors: Abbott, ADP, AT&T, Caterpillar, Cox Communications, CVS Health, Deloitte, EMC, EY, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Marriott International, MasterCard, Monsanto, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Prudential Financial, Sodexo, Target, TD Bank, Time Warner, Toyota Motor North America, and Wells Fargo.
About DiversityInc
DiversityInc’s mission is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list began in 2001, at the same time many corporations were beginning to understand the business value of diversity-management initiatives. The 2015 Top 50 Companies for Diversity results are featured on DiversityInc.com and in DiversityInc magazine. For more information, log on to www.diversityinc.com, https://www.facebook.com/DiversityInc, https://twitter.com/DiversityInc or http://www.linkedin.com/company/26561.