Jessica Szempruch (she/her) is a faculty librarian at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee campus. She received her BA (English literature) and MLIS from the University of South Florida, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate in education focusing on educational innovation. In addition to her instructional roles, Jessica serves as co-sponsor of USF’s Virtual Book Club. Her research interests stem from her passionate belief in the essential roles academic librarians can play in fostering student success, enhancing student engagement, and supporting retention efforts within the classroom and through co-curricular experiences.
Session Description
Highlighting Hidden Stories Leads to Cultivating Collective Healing: Supporting Children and Families in the United States and the Caribbean Impacted by Incarceration Through Multicultural Children’s Literature
This presentation showcases our research on literature in classrooms and libraries focused on supporting children with a family member who is incarcerated or in the criminal justice system. United States’ prisons maintain mass incarceration rates, where people of color are incarcerated at higher rates (Gramlich, 2021; Warren, et al., 2019); Caribbean nations face their own unique issues with mass incarceration (Limoncelli et. al., 2020). This global phenomenon impacts families and communities’ collective well-being and educational opportunities (Kjellstrand & Eddy, 2011; Martin, 2017; Reimer, 2019; Warren, et al., 2019), thus focusing on this topic is essential for achieving equity and justice for those who are often marginalized (Martin, 2017). Whether seen or invisible, children with experiences surrounding incarceration are not a niche population within our classrooms. Through increased support for the unique needs of the population experiencing incarceration most closely, teachers can cultivate spaces where all students can feel supported to thrive.
Our research highlights the universal importance for teachers to develop an understanding and awareness of this population, focusing on the effect and importance of teaching children with parents who are incarcerated using culturally responsive books and multimedia. Moving the conversation to include focus on Caribbean cultures necessitates further consideration for diversifying materials selections, considering nuances of language and culture. Details of collection development processes are explained in depth to inspire those who may wish to do similar work.