ALA has announced a new grant for libraries designed to spark conversations about American history and culture through an examination of the women’s suffrage movement.
Through Let’s Talk About It (LTAI): Women’s Suffrage, participants will read a series of books curated by humanities scholars and discuss the people and events from this often under-taught part of U.S. history.
Twenty-five libraries will be selected to receive a $1,000 stipend to support programming costs, ten copies of five themed books, access to programming guides and support materials, virtual training on the LTAI model, a suite of online resources and more.
Applications will be accepted from September 1 to December 1, 2021. Library workers can apply online at ala.org/ltai.
Originally launched by ALA for libraries in 1982, Let’s Talk About It is a reading and discussion program that involves groups of people reading a series of books selected by national project scholars and discussing them in the context of an overarching theme. The format for a Let’s Talk About It program involves a ten-week series. Every two weeks, a discussion group meets with a local humanities scholar to discuss one of the five books in the theme.
The following books have been selected by the LTAI: Women’s Suffrage project scholars:
- The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss
- Women Making History: The 19th Amendment Book, essays compiled by the National Park Service
- Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones
- Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle Duster
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
To qualify for this grant, the applying institution must be a library (public, tribal, school, academic, or special) residing in the U.S. or U.S. territories.
LTAI: Women’s Suffrage is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). To explore resources from past LTAI themes, visit the project website.
