Esther J. Walls

**Esther Walls** (1 ga Mayu, 1926 - 25 ga Fabrairu, 2008)  ‘yar Afirka Ba’amurke ce ma’ajiyar littattafai kuma mai fafutukar wayar da kan jama’a game da karatu a matakin ƙasa da ƙasa. An san ta da aikinta a cikin Laburaren Jama'a na New York da kuma shirye-shiryen littafin Franklin da ke ba da shawara don karatu da rubutu a kasashe masu tasowa a duniya.

## Tarihin rayuwa
An haifi Esther Jean Walls kuma ta girma a Mason City, Iowa . Ta kammala karatu a shekara ta 1944 a matsayin Valedictorian na Mason City High School, tana halartar Mason City Junior College da Jami'ar Iowa, ta kammala karatu a 1948 summa cum laude tare da digiri na farko a cikin harsunan Romance. Ita ce mace ta farko ta Afirka ta Amurka da aka zaba a babi na Alpha na Iowa na Phi Beta Kappa kuma ɗaya daga cikin mata na farko da suka shiga Currier Hall . Bayan kammala karatunta, ta yi aiki a ɗakin karatu na jama'a na Mason City kafin ta halarci Jami'ar Columbia kuma ta kammala karatu a 1951 tare da digiri na Master of Science a cikin Library Science . 

Ta fara aikinta na sana'a a cikin ɗakin karatu na jama'a na New York a matsayin matashi mai kula da ɗakin karatu, tana gabatar da ayyukan ɗakin karatu ga ɗaliban sana'a. A shekara ta 1958 ta yi nazarin bukatun daliban makarantar sakandare. Ta zama shugabar reshen Clason's Point a Bronx da kuma Babban Mai Gidan Gida na Countee Cullen a Harlem. A lokacin da take a waɗannan rassan ta mayar da hankali ga laccoci da shirye-shirye don hulɗa tare da al'ummar Black da bukatunsu. An nada ta Darakta na Arewacin Manhattan Project, fadada ɗakin karatu a rassan Harlem da yawa don yin hidima ga al'ummomin da ba su da wadata. A lokacin da ta tashi tare da Laburaren Jama'a na New York, ita ce mafi girman matsayi na Afirka a cikin tsarin.

Walls ya fara tafiya zuwa Afirka a 1959 ya ziyarci Ghana, Najeriya da Togo a cikin jimlar ziyarar 25. A shekara ta 1965 ta yi murabus daga matsayinta a Countee Cullen Library kuma ta karɓi matsayi tare da Franklin Book Programs don motsa shirye-shiryen littafi da ɗakin karatu a ƙasashe masu tasowa. A wannan lokacin, ta yi tafiya a duk faɗin Afirka, Latin Amurka da Asiya don inganta karatu da rubutu da ɗakunan karatu. Ta yi aiki a wannan rawar a matsayin hukuma har zuwa 1971, tana ci gaba a matsayin mai ba da shawara na musamman kan Afirka kuma tana wakiltar Franklin a taron gwamnati da kuma tarurrukan masana'antu.

An nada Walls a matsayin darektan Sakatariyar Amurka don inganta Shekarar Littafin Duniya ta UNESCO. Manufar wannan shirin ita ce mayar da hankali ga jama'a gaba ɗaya, gwamnatoci, ƙungiyoyin ƙasa da na cikin gida kan rawar da littattafai da kayan da suka shafi su a rayuwar mutum da al'amuran al'umma.

* An nada ta shugabar Cibiyar Nazarin Malamai ta Tsakiya a Kwalejin Hunter a Birnin New York a shekarar 1973. 
* Daga 1975-1979 ta yi aiki a matsayin shugabar Hukumar Kula da Harkokin Kasuwanci ta Shugaban kasa.
* Ta yi aiki a matsayin Shugabar Ƙungiyar Ayyukan Laburaren Matasa, Ƙungiyar Laburaren Amirka; Shugabar Kwamitin Hulɗa na Duniya, Ƙungiyar Littattafan Amirka;
* Ta yi aiki a matsayin kwamishina kuma memba na kwamitin zartarwa na Hukumar Kasa ta Amurka don UNESCO; Kwamitin Amurka don UNICEF .
* Ta yi aiki a matsayin Mataimakin Darakta na Litattafan Jami'ar Jihar New York a Stony Brook daga 1974 har zuwa lokacin da ta yi ritaya a shekarar 1988.
* Ta zama memba na ALA a shekarar 1988.

Walls ya mutu a Birnin New York, yana da shekaru 81 bayan ciwon zuciya. Akwai abin tunawa a Birnin New York. An binne Walls a Elmwood-St.  Kabari na Joseph Municipal a Mason City . 

## Bayanan da aka ambata