TEMPE, ARIZ – MARCH 25, 2024 – In partnership with its DEI committee, ECPA has created a DEI Resource Library, a collection of online content about diversity, equity, and inclusion in Christian publishing. Organized in six separate training modules, sessions include resources and webinars that have been presented through ECPA events and programs.
The six modules are:
- DEI INDUSTRY CONVERSATIONS MODULE – 8 hours
- DEI & LEADERSHIP MODULE – 8 hours
- DEI & EDITORIAL MODULE – 6 hours
- DEI & MARKETING MODULE – 5 hours
- DEI & CHRISTIAN FICTION MODULE – 5.5 hours
- DEI & CHILDREN’S BOOKS MODULE – 3.5 hours
After a member completes any one of the six modules, they may apply for a professional Certificate of Completion through ECPA.
“This resource library is for the benefit of ECPA members wanting to understand DEI from a Gospel and specific-to-this-industry lens,” explains ECPA president and CEO Jeff Crosby. “These conversations are uniquely by and for those in Christian publishing and we invite our members to listen and learn.”
The resource library has been a project of the DEI subcommittee on Education, led by Tina Constable (WaterBrook and Multnomah) and Ed Gilbreath (Christianity Today), with input from the entire committee.
“The committee wanted a way to make these conversations more widely available,” explains Tina. “Each module requires the completion of Listening Sessions, which include short videos from fellow publishing professionals of color.”
“There is value in attempting to see the world from perspectives and experiences that differ from our own,” states Ed. “Though this library is specific to Christian publishing, it is still an important step of humility and grace to listen to those who have experienced the industry differently.” Ed is the author of Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity (IVP).
Formed in 2021, the ECPA DEI Committee is chaired by ECPA board member Tina Constable, who heads up Christian imprints at Penguin Random House. Members represent various segments of the ECPA industry: Jevon Bolden (Embolden Media Group), Peter Cerra (Tyndale House Publishers), Joyce Dinkins (Publishing in Color), Ed Gilbreath (Christianity Today), and Edwina Perkins (Harambee Press). The committee’s initiatives have included the first ECPA Baseline Survey on Diversity, the Open Door Student Intern program, and the DEI Resource Library.
The library was reorganized on the new website platform by ECPA’s communications manager Sheri Toomb. She encourages members to engage in this important resource and to appreciate the steadfast efforts of industry colleagues who were willing to be involved in these hard conversations. The library will continue to grow as the conversations continue, and more industry guidance and resources become available.
To get started, members can go to ECPA.org/page/DEI_library, select a module, and track their progress through the content. (Members must be signed into their ECPA profiles to access.) Additional industry DEI resources are listed on the ECPA site.
For more information, contact:
ECPA president and CEO Jeff Crosby at jcrosby@ecpa.org or ECPA communications manager Sheri Toomb at stoomb@ecpa.org.
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. ECPA.org
