Presenters

Andrea Lemoins (she/her) is an Emergent Strategy facilitator and Asset Based Community Development practitioner looking to support Black communities in preserving their local memory institutions. She is graduating with a Master of Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in August of 2021, and is a 2020 ALA Spectrum/ProQuest Scholar. Andrea lives in Philadelphia and works for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation as a Community Organizer. She writes poetry, collects typewriters, enjoys reading science fiction, and walking around the city.

Contact:

LemoinsA@freelibrary.org

Echo Phillips is the Children's Librarian for one of the highest circulating branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Pre-pandemic, her daily storytimes would regularly see upwards of 60 participants and she can't wait until in-person programming can safely resume. When Echo is not planning children's programming, reading middle grade fiction, or talking up the library, she's usually found crafting or playing with her French Bulldog, Ludo.

Contact:

PhillipsEC@freelibrary.org

Raynelda A. Calderon is a children’s book author who grew up on a healthy diet of romance novels, comic strips, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's books, and the strict watch of her mother. She has a doctorate in leadership in higher education and works as a public librarian at Queens Public Library. Check out her most recent book, Little Giants: 10 Hispanic Women Who Made History

Contact:

Instagram & Facebook: @raycc10

Website: http://www.rayneldacalderon.com/

My name is Jim Ramsey, but people call me Mr. Jim (usually the

five and under crowd). This is my thirteenth year working at the Ford-

Warren Branch Library, co-named for Dr. Justina Ford the first African-

American female licensed doctor in Colorado. I have been a part of R.A.D.A.

since 2017. My position at the library is Library Program Associate. My duties

include children and older adult program coordination, as well as outreach

into the community. It is my privileged to live and work in my community;

connecting with people and organizations.

Contact:

jramsey@denverlibrary.org

Hadiya I. Evans is a reference librarian at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, a branch of the Denver Public Library, and holds a MA and MLIS in Library Information. Her professional trajectory hasn’t been a sprint, but a marathon with pit stops that have enriched her career due to the inspiration and guidance of unofficial mentorship. Hadiya's strong commitment to engagement is rooted in nurturing collaborative partnerships and creating relevant and community focused programming. She is the current President of the Colorado Black Library Association, an affiliate of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.

Contact:

hevans@denverlibrary.org

Mónica is a librarian at the Denver Public Library. She has established a Social Justice book club that is going into it's second year. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Master’s of Art in Women’s and Gender Studies and a Master’s of Science in Information Studies. Her master’s thesis applied an interdisciplinary approach to cultural communities and storytelling through oral histories that centered on the creation of the Biblioteca Latinoamericana in San José, CA. She has a passion for working with immigrant and Spanish-speaking populations. As the current Past President of REFORMA Colorado, her work has supported in the expansion of membership and establishing a scholarship fund for Latinx students going into the field of librarianship.

Contact:

mlozano@denverlibrary.org