[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 1: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a public service announcement from the Meadowcreek High School Media Center. Talk to 'em. 

You want structure. You want diversity, learn about new cultures. Just listen to me. You don't want to waste time, the library is where you want to be. Or you can check it out online. Just read it. 

SPEAKER 2: Give it to 'em! 

SPEAKER 3: Database. Database. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. Just read it. 

SPEAKER 3: Magazine. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. 

SPEAKER 3: Newspaper. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. 

SPEAKER 3: Paperback. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. 

SPEAKER 3: Got it all. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. 

SPEAKER 3: Hardcover. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. 

SPEAKER 3: Articles. 

SPEAKER 1: Just read it. Take you anywhere you want to go. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: You are listening to WREK Atlanta. And this is Lost in the Stacks-- the Research Library Rock'n'Roll Show. I'm Charlie Bennett in the virtual studio with Marlee Givens and Fred Rascoe. Each week on Lost in the Stacks, we pick a theme and then use it to create a mix of music and library talk. Whichever you're here for, we hope you dig it. 

FRED RASCOE: Our show today is called Love Needs to be Louder. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: Sounds like a 1960s music festival. 

MARLEE GIVENS: Well, maybe we're going for a similar vibe, but our show is actually about being woke and what that word means to school librarians. 

FRED RASCOE: The word woke is, obviously, heavily fraught with meaning that changes depending on who's using it the loudest. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: You ain't kidding. 

MARLEE GIVENS: School librarians might try to use that word in projects that help their collections match their student population, but increasingly, they're under scrutiny from elected officials who don't agree with what that word stands for. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: Sounds like a great topic for our guest, Cicely Lewis, a local high school librarian who pioneered the, quote, "Read Woke," unquote school reading program which is now gone nationwide. She'll tell us how she got into librarianship and how she got inspired to make sure her library was a welcome place for all of her students. 

FRED RASCOE: And our songs today are about connecting and making change happen. And, because Cicely works in a school that's over 80% Latinx, today we're playing all artists that identify as having Latinx heritage. So let's start with a song about embracing freedom across all borders and boundaries. This is "Freedom is Free" by Chicano Batman right here on Lost in the Stacks. 

MARLEE GIVENS: You just heard "Freedom is Free" by Chicano Batman. And this is Lost in the Stacks. Our guest today is Cicely Lewis, librarian at Meadowcreek High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia. 

She was named the 2020 School Librarian of the Year by the School Library Journal, and she is the founder of the Read Woke Diversity Reading Program. We started this interview by asking her a little about how she ended up as a school librarian. 

FRED RASCOE: So Cicely, how did you get to be a high school librarian? Was it something that you-- you just knew you wanted to be a school librarian from a young age or did you take one of those convoluted paths? 

CICELY LEWIS: So I began as a language arts teacher and Spanish teacher. I had no idea about the field of librarianship. It's like a secret that people keep hidden away. And I remember coming into the school library with my students, and when I start talking about books, it's like I light up and I'm very animated. And I started helping other kids from other teachers. 

And one of the teachers told me, she said, you should be our school librarian. And I thought about it and I was like, this is the perfect job for me. You're a teacher, so you're teaching classes. You're creating programming. You get to buy books. You get to shop for books. And you have the biggest classroom in the building. 

And so I immediately started looking for ways to get into the program. I attended the Georgia Southern program and I was-- luckily I was able to get the position here when our school librarian left. And so I continued to work at the same school, but in a bigger role as a school librarian. 

FRED RASCOE: So when that colleague of yours said, hey, you should do it, what did that colleague see in you that I guess maybe that colleague wasn't seeing in the current librarian? 

CICELY LEWIS: Well first of all, just a little background, she didn't like the current librarian so much. [LAUGHS] But I think she saw my passion shining through. And I'm truly passionate about it. I love connecting people, especially teenagers, with great reads. And she saw the passion and she saw my enthusiasm, and then she saw the kids light up. 

When I started talking about the books, the kids were excited. And I think that the excitement was palpable, and so she saw that in me and she spoke that over me, and it just-- it's like a light bulb went off. 

FRED RASCOE: So when you finally were able to get the position of librarian, what did you find? Because it's different being a teacher and coming in and accessing the library and seeing what's there, but when you're actually there, you're in charge, you see what's in the collection, you see how people are using the collection. What did you initially see? 

CICELY LEWIS: So what I saw was there were tons of books here, but there was not a great or accurate representation for my students. My student body here is over-- it's almost 80% Latinx or some people prefer the term Hispanic. And so there were not a lot of books that represented my students here, and there were not many books in Spanish. We have many students who speak Spanish as a first language, they're learning English. 

And there were not books that had my students on the cover. And-- that look like my students on the cover. And the books that were here that fit that description, they were not being pushed to the forefront. I feel like they weren't being marketed properly to the students. And also saw a drab, dark, formal-looking area that didn't look fun and it did not look inviting at all. And it was empty. I'll be honest, there were not many kids in the school library. 

FRED RASCOE: So your first job sounds like it was a little bit of a collection assessment and space assessment. 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. 

FRED RASCOE: So what steps did you-- you recognize your population, you recognize what your collection has. What's your next steps? 

CICELY LEWIS: So luckily I had the-- I was lucky to work with an administrator who was forward-thinking, and he had a vision. He told me on the interview, I want to see the library packed. I want the students with devices. I want the students reading. I just-- I want to see life. And he invested. He put his money where his mouth is, as they say. He invested almost a million dollars into the renovation of our space. 

And so we have-- acquired new furniture, comfortable seating that was an inviting, it was a light-blue color. The tables were changed out to a lighter color and it really brightened the space. And then I was able to get signage that reflected the different areas. And one of the best things we did was install these glass rooms so that the students could truly collaborate, and these screens where students can project their presentations up and work collaboratively. 

And then having a budget, I started seeking out books and looking for books that had people on the cover that looked like my students to draw them in and to bring them into the library and media center. 

FRED RASCOE: Yeah, our library recently went through a similar kind of thing. We have to have the spaces that the students want to use and need to use for their studies for them to want to come in and use the library. So did you find that your particular, I guess, attention to the fact that, oh, my population, 80% Latinx, I need to focus on that? Did you find that your students recognized that, oh, there's some effort being put in here? Did they see the collections? Did they, I guess, get that the library was a place for them? 

CICELY LEWIS: So when we changed the-- when we change the furniture, I remember kids coming by and looking in and saying, wow, is this for us? Because we purchased some really nice pieces and areas that they just look really, really sophisticated and inviting, and I said, yes, these spaces are for you. 

And then I remember when I put Dear Martin out and I put it on the display, and there's a young Black boy on the cover and he has a hoodie, and I remember kids coming up to me saying, picking up that book and like, wow, seeing that representation in a book like, I am not your perfect Mexican daughter with a Latina girl with a long braid, just seeing that book and they come in and I had them front-facing on a display, and they pick them up and they were like, wow, this book looks really interesting, and they started checking them out. 

So I definitely think that they saw the change and they saw what I was doing. I was very intentional about what I was doing, trying to bring them in, trying to get them to fall in love with reading. 

FRED RASCOE: We'll be back to discuss more about Cicely's work and how it led to read woke after a music set. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: File this set under Z675.S3K18. 

MARLEE GIVENS: You just heard "No Esta Aqui" by Freddy Fender, and before that, "Nada Personal" by Soda Stereo, songs about trying to make a connection. 

FRED RASCOE: This is Lost in the Stacks, and our guest today is Cicely Lewis, librarian at Meadowcreek High school and founder of the diversity reading program called Read Woke. 

I want to talk a little bit about Read Woke, which is the project that you started. Can you tell us a little bit about what Read Woke is, and was it an idea that you had before you were a librarian or did it come from your experience being a librarian at a high school? 

CICELY LEWIS: So when I came into the Library Media Center, I've always loved themes, I've always loved having programs, and I was doing that in my classroom, but not until I came into the Library Media Center and started working with the entire student population did I recognized the need for me to do more. And working with this population and learning about the different things that affect the community, I realized that I had a bigger goal and a bigger mission. And that talking about flying wizards and those things, that's great, but my students had direct needs that needed to be met at that time. They needed information. 

And so I used that idea or that passion or that inspiration, if you will, to start this project and to try to bring awareness because the word "woke" is all about awareness and bringing awareness and being enlightened on certain issues. And the students, they had no idea-- they were going through the issues, but they didn't know how to articulate what they were going through or to advocate for themselves and to advocate for their families. So it was a really important project for me to do. 

FRED RASCOE: When you started the project, did you envision it just as local to your high school? 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. I started it with my school in mind and in directly helping my students and my community. I had no idea that it was going to take off the way it did. I just-- I was really just thinking about my students and what they were going through. 

FRED RASCOE: And I'll just say for our listeners, you are in your school office, so if we hear bells and stuff in the background, it's the school. I'll just mention that for the listening audience. So you developed this-- I guess can you call Read Woke a curriculum, first of all? 

CICELY LEWIS: I call Read Woke a movement. It is-- 

FRED RASCOE: OK. 

CICELY LEWIS: It's a lifestyle. It's-- people-- it's a reading challenge, but it has taking off into more than that. And so yes, I definitely would say that it is a curriculum and it can be a part of the curriculum. And I've worked with teachers and we're using it as a part of the curriculum. So I definitely can see it utilized in that way. 

FRED RASCOE: And you mentioned the challenge. That's getting students to read books by authors from maybe traditionally marginalized voices, populations, things like that, right? 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. Is that these types of books that tackle social justice issues, that really help our students learn about the things that are going on in the news. So they may be watching the news, but they have no background on it. And so these books give them a background and it gives them knowledge. 

FRED RASCOE: And so you're kind of selecting books that maybe fit from these different marginalized populations-- different races, different ethnicities, different LGBTQ. 

CICELY LEWIS: So yeah, so it's books that challenge the social norm, provide information about groups that have been disenfranchised, amplify the voices of the global majority, disrupt the status quo, and share perspectives from underrepresented groups that traditionally have not been represented in literature. 

FRED RASCOE: And how did you start sharing that beyond your school? So I was-- social media. I started talking-- sharing on social media about the success I was having with students checking out books. I remember we had a hold list for Nick Song's Dear Martin, and I was bragging about it, I was so excited. Students were waiting for that book. 

And I remember a librarian in Iowa saw my tweet and she sent me 10 copies of the books for my students to have. And so I shared my story with School Library Journal publication and it went viral . Immediately the editor called me and she said, oh my God, you have got to go online and see all the conversation. Dictionary.com retweeted it, authors, librarians everywhere, even in Norway, were reaching out to me. People were DMing me saying, hey, I'm a librarian and I did not know how to talk about these issues, I did not feel comfortable talking about these issues, and you have given me a way. 

And it was so-- I was just so amazed that something that I had started for my students was being used and was being-- it was beneficial for other educators. 

FRED RASCOE: So is that when you started the Read Woke website where other folks could access it? 

CICELY LEWIS: So yes. So librarians started saying, hey, I want to do this at my school. And I was getting so many emails and phone calls. And so I decided to make a website where they could access all the information. And they were already on Twitter and social media with me, but it really helped me to have a one-stop shop for librarians or educators who wanted to implement the program in their school. 

FRED RASCOE: So I want to take a turn now into the current politics that librarians just have to deal with, unfortunately. And let's start with your signature project, Read Woke. The word "woke" now is being used so aggressively in a negative way now. We've talked about the positive intentions behind this program, but then folks that maybe of a certain political stripe just decide to use it to rile up rile up their base. 

So how do you feel about that and about the word "woke" being associated with something that you're really trying to bring as a positive thing to your library? 

CICELY LEWIS: So great question. Prior to-- when I initially started the program, the word had not been weaponized as much as it has now. And so it was-- there was just a-- I mean, it was a great opportunity and I saw so much hope-- I had so much hope. People were really doing the work. Educators were happy, they were excited about what they were doing. And so to now to have this current climate where this is almost a bad word to some people, and some people can't even see past the word to see my project. 

I remember, I presented to some librarians in Tennessee, and a librarian came up to me after my presentation and she said, I had no idea that your program was so positive and powerful and that you're doing-- this is great what you're doing. And she said, I feel-- I have been wrong and my mindset. 

And she has tears running down her eyes, and it's so-- it's most of the time people can't even see past the word to see what we're doing, and I think this is definitely a way to sensationalize people, to get them riled up about something that is truly just promoting unity and compassion among our students. 

So I really hate the negative connotation that the word has, but I refuse to be controlled or to let someone dictate the language. And so I'm going to continue on with it, but there's definitely-- that has definitely been something that I've noticed, and it is-- it's definitely something that-- it's prevalent right now, the use-- the misunderstanding of the word, the weaponization of the word that was born in the Black community to alert people to injustices and to make people aware of their rights and things of that nature. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: You're listening to Lost in the Stacks. And we'll be back with more from Cicely Louis on the left side of the hour. 

Today we're talking about how school libraries can intentionally include in their collections books with diverse authors about diverse kinds of people for a diverse group of students. That intentionality is sometimes called "being woke." Some folks do not like the word "woke." in a large segment of the population, "woke" is used as an insult because it represents something that is offensive to them. It's a euphemism. 

So should we change the word "woke" to something else? Would calling wokeness something besides "woke" bring people together towards inclusiveness and an embrace of diversity? 

In 1974, researcher Sharon Henderson dubbed this instinct to improve the image of a concept by changing the word for it as the euphemism cycle. I do not like where this is going. As she wrote, "As words become widely known and used, they begin to lose their euphemistic vigor and eventually come to be looked upon as basic terms. They are then liable to be used as humorous or depreciative expressions and must be replaced for non-pejorative use. 

A word, therefore, doesn't change the concept it represents. If those folks using a word as a pejorative are louder than those using the same word in a positive sense, then that pejorative use could become the common usage." I think we all have heard this happening. 

So, if the word "woke" becomes most commonly known as an insult, and it seems headed that way, it's because those using it as an insult are louder than the folks using "woke" in a positive sense. The loud folks don't like the concept that the word "woke" represents, so they then make the word negative by pejorative use. 

For some people out there, no word for social justice, for political correctness, for activism, or for wokeness will ever be the right word. Because the concept behind it will never be one they believe in. 

So, one solution could be, make sure the positive uses of the word "woke" stay louder than the insulting ones. So, we'll just stay "woke," whatever you think of that, and we'll file this set under HM671.M385. 

FRED RASCOE: That was "Mañana" by Paola Navarrete, songs about seeing a need for change and making it happen. 

MARLEE GIVENS: Welcome back to Lost in the Stacks. We're speaking to Cicely Lewis about high school kids reading diverse books through her initiative called Read Woke. 

FRED RASCOE: Do you ever think, man I've got to change the name of this program to get it heard? Or do you or do you think like, no I'm going to bring this and I'm going to represent the word as it is and as it was? 

CICELY LEWIS: I'm not changing a word for my program, but I have had librarians reach out to me and say, hey, I'm going to change it to this, but the mission is still the same. And at the end of the day, if the mission is still the same and you're getting those books in the hands of kids and you're making a difference and you're teaching compassion and unity, then I am all for it. 

And so I applaud those librarians who are doing what they have to do to keep their program afloat. And if that's what you have to do and you can still keep your program running, then you're winning. So I applaud those librarians and I definitely assist in any way, but for me, I will continue to use the word and to keep my program going and continuing to fight for the rights for my students to have intellectual freedom. 

FRED RASCOE: And let's-- to keep it kind of in a-- the politics of the day and the news of the day subject, there was a-- well, I'll say there was a New York Times article, John McWhorter, and he was writing about some of the same things that you were just saying, like how woke has been taken by the opposite side to use as a weapon. 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. 

FRED RASCOE: And one of the points that he made is that there's always going to be-- if there's a concept that people that-- if there's a concept that people are against, it doesn't matter what the word is for it, they're going to take whatever word for it and make it into a negative to serve their own cause. 

So even if you did change the name "woke," whatever that word replaced it-- 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. 

FRED RASCOE: I think would be a target as well. 

CICELY LEWIS: Exactly. And I think once you start allowing people to dictate and to make you feel uncomfortable in your work, when you know that you are doing work that is beneficial, then you do have-- I think that there can be some problems with that. So I definitely agree there will always be a word-- there'll always be something that people will disagree on. And you have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. 

And so I'm standing up for the rights of my students and their intellectual freedom, and I'm not backing down and I'm going to continue to fight. I write a monthly column in School Library Journal. And I've been working on so many projects. 

My newest project with my students now is Read Something, Do Something. And these students are taking these books and they're taking them to the next level and going out in the community and making change, and they've all been inspired by books. 

FRED RASCOE: So there's obviously, as we record this in August of 2022, in the news every day it seems like there's a new book ban story from some community. We've had them here in Georgia, and there have been across the country as well. And they're bans based on the kinds of things that you're trying to draw attention to. 

Like there's voices that exist, there are people that exist that maybe should be represented-- not maybe, they should be represented in library collections. 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: So-- and that's like directly in your world. You're a librarian for kids. 

CICELY LEWIS: Yes. 

FRED RASCOE: They're high school kids, but they're still kids. 

CICELY LEWIS: Yeah. Yes, it's a direct-- it directly affects my program and it's directly related. And the books, most of the books that are being banned are books about African-American history and the LGBTQ community. And these students exist, these students are here. And to ban a book and to say this book is not a clean book or a safe book, what do you saying about the student? 

And as a mother of Black children, I don't have the liberty of saying, oh, we're not going to read those books or we're not-- my students are-- my children-- I'm sorry. My children are living that life that exists. And so I have to make sure that they have every opportunity. And then I want them to be compassionate and to treat people with the dignity and respect that they deserve even if they're different from you. 

So I have an obligation as a mother and as an educator to make sure that this information is accessible because I want-- my ultimate goal is that we work together. We are so much better together when we're unified, and that's one of the main goals of my program and my main goal as an educator. 

FRED RASCOE: What do you feel like when you read one of those stories, and it's a public library or it's a school library, where people are coming out-- either at a school board meeting or a public library board meeting and saying, this is not something that we need on the shelves. I mean, it's not necessarily happening in Gwinnett County right now, to my knowledge, but obviously that's the world that you're in. So what do you feel when you hear stories like that? 

CICELY LEWIS: It really hurts my heart, because I really-- I think that the kids, the students, the children listening, I think about how they feel to be told that they are unworthy, or-- and it really-- it hurts my heart, it does. But on the other side, it motivates me to be louder. 

Right now, ignorance and hatred are so loud. And so I feel like with my program, which I'm teaching about love and unity, I need to be louder. So I use a platform like this to speak, to share my story. I'm writing articles, I'm writing books, I'm talking to anyone I can to help spread this message that we need to be unified, and we are so much better together. 

And so when I hear these stories, when I see these people and I see all the hatred and the anger in them, I really-- I feel sorry for them, but I feel more-- I'm more concerned about the children-- even their children. Their children at home, that they don't even realize are listening to them spew this hate and you don't know your child may be a member of the LGBT community. But they will never come out to you or talk to you because look at the way you spoke. 

And so I just-- there's so many emotions that I feel, but one that I use is the motivation, and it motivates me to keep going and to work harder and to really truly keep being louder. 

FRED RASCOE: Does that need to be the title of this episode, We Need to be Louder Than Them? 

CICELY LEWIS: We Need Some Love Needs to be Louder Than Them, yes. We've got to drown out these voices and let our students know that we support them and that we are there for them and that we love them. And that they are worthy. They are worthy to be represented. 

FRED RASCOE: That is such a great place to land. Cicely Lewis, thank you so much for joining us. 

CICELY LEWIS: Thank you, too, for this opportunity. 

FRED RASCOE: Our guest today was Cicely Lewis, Librarian at Meadowcreek High School, author of Social Justice Books for Young Readers, 2020 School Librarian of the Year, and founder of the Read Woke Initiative. 

MARLEE GIVENS: File this set under E441.L49. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: You just heard "Voy Bien a Mi Regreso" by Los Teen Tops. And before that, "Don't Push Me Around" by The Zeros. I really want to know what don't push me around in Spanish is now. Songs about figuring out what's right, then standing up for it. 

Today's show was about a high school librarian trying to make a difference in her student's' lives. Do you, show team, have any memories of the school library or school librarian that have made a difference in your life at any grade level? And Fred, you don't get to talk about your wife. 

MARLEE GIVENS: Yeah. The only school librarian that I really remember is my elementary school librarian, and her name was Mrs. Flynn. And she taught us all the Dewey decimal system, which I have no problem with. I know that people make jokes about that, but it really helped me figure out like, oh, there's an order to all of this information. 

And she had like record albums in her collection. And I just kind of have memories of sitting around the library and looking at album covers. 

FRED RASCOE: So yeah, Charlie, you're right, I did marry a school librarian, So. that was pretty life-changing. But OK, since that doesn't count, when I was in about second or third grade, a librarian explained to me that, when I was looking for a book, I didn't have to actually memorize where it was on the shelf. She explained to me that if you knew the title, that book that you had last week, you could look it up in the card catalog, find the name of the author, and then it would be there alphabetically by author name on the shelf. It's kind of mind-blowing for a seven or eight-year-old. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: Yeah. I mean, if you teach a kid to fish. OK, so it might surprise you all to know that I was a withdrawn, shy, angry kid who read to keep other people away from him, not to bring them closer. So I don't have any memories of the librarians, but I should say, it's clear that they were all awesome because I loved every single one of my school libraries. Elementary, the other elementary school, middle school, high school. They were sanctuaries. They were full of solitude and amazing books, things I'd never heard of before, and you could get lost in them literally and metaphorically. And I guess with that, roll the credits. 

Lost in the Stacks is a collaboration between WREK Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Library. Written and produced by Charlie Bennett, Fred Rascoe, Marlee Givens, and Wendy Hagenmaier. 

FRED RASCOE: Today's show was edited and assembled by me. And also I want to shout out to my wife, school librarian, Zoe, for the idea of talking to Cicely. 

MARLEE GIVENS: Legal counsel and a marketing plan to get this show heard in Norway were provided by the Burrus Intellectual Property Law Group in Atlanta, Georgia. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: I'll tell you Phillip Burress, jack of all trades, master of the law. Special thanks to Cicely for being on the show, to principals and administrators everywhere that support their school's librarian, and thanks, as always, to each and every one of you for listening. 

MARLEE GIVENS: You can find us online lostinthestacks.org and you can subscribe to our podcast pretty much anywhere you get your audio fix. 

CHARLIE BENNETT: Next week's show is going to be a caution. It's about bricks, which you do not want to fall on you. 

FRED RASCOE: Time for our last song today. After our interview, Cecily told me that her theme song this summer is Beyonce's "Break my Soul," which has kept her spirits up and kept her motivated. So in tribute to Cicely, we're playing that song. But in keeping with the South of the Border theme of the day, we're going to play the version of "Break my Soul" by Banda Terráquea right here on Lost in the Stacks-- I hope I said that right. Have a great weekend, everyone. 

[MUSIC PLAYING]