The Steady Growth of the DEI Book Awards
The DEI Book Awards have become a cherished annual community tradition where Friends Select lower school students, families, and educators gather to identify and highlight literature that reflects a range of identities, cultures, and lived experiences while
advancing the school’s commitment to equity and belonging.
Presented by the lower school, the DEI Book Awards celebrate the power of storytelling and inclusion. The program launched in 2023 to continue the legacy of Linda Patterson, a beloved lower school educator who retired in 2021 after 32 years of teaching in Friends Select’s lower school. Linda was known for encouraging the community to embrace diversity and foster a learning environment where students can be their authentic selves.
“As a teacher, Linda was really intentional about choosing books featuring children of color whose stories weren’t defined solely by racial struggle,” said Toni Graves Williamson, director of equity and inclusion and co-clerk of the DEI Book Awards committee. “Sometimes they were simply about a child learning to swim or coping with the loss of a loved one.” Linda continues to attend the DEI Book Awards each year, where she reads to students the winner of the “The Slice of Life: Linda Patterson Award,” named in her honor.
Each year, Toni and Joe McKinnon, a Friends Select lower school assistant teacher and lower school DEI coordinator, lead a team of lower school teachers, librarians, parents, and outside experts, including writer Sheena Howard P’35, to identify the best books in each of the following categories: Slice of Life, Biography, Celebrating Identity, and Explaining Race and Equity. As part of that process, they focus on ensuring meaningful representation across identities, cultures, and lived experiences of books chosen from recently published titles. “While there’s a lot of coordination involved, one of my favorite parts is actually reading all of the nominated titles,” said Joe. “It’s such a joy to experience these stories alongside our students and help curate books that spark conversation, reflection, excitement, and connection within our community.”
Lower school students are also invited to read and rate books for the Kids’ Choice Award category, guaranteeing that the winning book represents children’s perspectives. Younger students respond with star ratings and teacher-guided comments, whereas older students share more detailed reflections. As the outgoing class of the lower school, fourth graders host the DEI Book Awards ceremony, serving as emcees, introducing categories, and announcing winners. They also coordinate a live reenactment of the Kids’ Choice Award-winning book.
Stories for Everyone
Now in its fourth year, the DEI Book Awards were opened to the public for the first time. For organizers, the decision reflects the belief that the conversations sparked by children’s literature should extend beyond the Friends Select School community. “Opening the DEI Book Awards to the public felt like the natural next step because stories belong to everyone,” Joe said. “I hope broader accessibility helps children see that their stories matter on a larger scale. I hope families feel welcomed into conversations around identity, empathy, and equity in ways that feel hopeful and human. And honestly, I hope educators leave inspired and reminded that inclusive education is not an ‘extra’—it’s essential.”
Over just four years, the DEI Book Awards have grown from a small internal initiative into a vibrant community gathering with increasing attendance and recognition. The event usually takes place at the Arch Street Meeting House, with which Friends Select has a care relationship that can accommodate the growing attendance and reflects the school’s connection to the broader Quaker community.
Beyond the Books
The long-term vision for the program is that families, educators, and librarians beyond the school will look to the Friends Select community as a trusted resource for thoughtfully curated DEI children’s literature. “Since its inception, our hope for the DEI Book Awards has always been, and still is, that Friends Select can leverage its collective expertise about diversity and equity to identify quality children’s literature that can be shared not just within our community but with the community beyond the walls of our school,” said Dave Younkin, the lower school director.
Crucially, at a time when DEI programming is under scrutiny and attack in our nation, the FSS book awards committee is unapologetic in its work. While some institutions are backing away from the terminology and the work, Friends Select continues to promote its diversity, equity, and inclusion work intentionally, emphatically, and publicly. The awards exist not only to celebrate excellent books but also to affirm the school’s ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion.
“As a Quaker institution, Friends Select emphasizes reflection, integrity, and recognizing the Light in every person,” Joe said. “The DEI Book Awards bring those values to life in a tangible and joyful way. We are telling children, through stories and community, ‘You belong here. Your voice matters here.’”
