Inside the James E. Shepard Memorial Library at North Carolina Central University, you can find Montressa Hunter.
“Growing up, I sought refuge in books. That was a place of solace for me,” said Hunter
” I would read anything that I could get my hands on,” she continued.
Her love for literature started as a child and it never stopped and now she’s on track to become a librarian.
Hunter graduates from North Carolina Central University with a Master of Library Science in May. Central is the only HBCU in the country with a Library Science program accredited by the American Library Association.
I didn’t see myself in the library. I never saw myself represented there. So, I never thought that I could be a librarian, said Hunter.
Since 1939, North Carolina Central University has granted over 1400 degrees in Library and Information Science making the university the largest producer of African American librarians in the country.
However, the field of librarianship is still in desperate need of diversity. That’s why North Carolina University is bringing in the next generation of librarians like Hunter and her classmates.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show less than seven percent of librarians are Black compared to 84 percent, who are White.
“What else can we do, to be able to recruit, to be able to recruit minorities in terms of, you know, is it outreach is it exposure? Is it, you know, intimidation? What kind of barriers to entry are here and how can we overcome them,” said Dr. Chris Cunningham, Program Director for Library Science at North Carolina Central University.
According to data from North Carolina Central, 237 students are enrolled in the School of Library and Information Sciences.
Nearly 40 percent of those students are Black.
“This is a place where you are welcome,” said Cunningham. “We welcome that diversity, welcome that background, we welcome that experience because, at the end of the day, we are all better with that. We’re all stronger,” he continued.
Stronger, while still recognizing pioneers of the past like Mollie Huston Lee who was the first African American librarian in Wake County, and celebrating the success stories of today like Carla Hayden, the first African American Librarian of Congress.
“We stand on the shoulders of the giants that have come before us. And so, we have inherited a very strong program,” said Dr. Cunningham.
Montressa Hunter hopes to continue their legacy while forging a path of her own.
“I want to provide access to not only underserved communities but also be able to be their representation. People see me, and I can humanize it. Like if I can do it, you can do it. Anybody can do it.”