Book-ish: Books In Students' Hands
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Mission: To get high quality books by, for and about BIPOC into the hands of students who don't typically own many books.
We work in junior highs and we know that kids want access to high quality books by authors of color. There is also a huge gulf between kids who own their own books and kids who do not.
Books take disposable income.
When you own a book, you can go back to it over and over again to re-read, browse, or loan to a younger sibling or friend. If you are reading this post right now, chances are you can walk to a room or two in your home and see books stacked on shelves.
As a media center para (Erika) and reading teacher (Laura), we see the power of books to help kids make sense of themselves and the world. We see the importance of all students seeing themselves reflected in books. We see the value of kids seeing other races and cultures reflected in books.
100% of funds will go directly to buying books by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and authors of diverse backgrounds and cultures. These books will be put directly into the hands (and backpacks) of kids who normally have low-to-no book ownership.
Finally, we will work on compiling a list of titles so kids get to choose books they want to read and keep! We are happy to post this list so y'all can see it too. It will always be a work-in-progress as new and exciting titles come out!
This idea was inspired by "Stamped" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi, as well as by a former student of Jensen's who generously donated to get approximately 100 books into kids' hands!
Finally, the pandemic and whatever that holds for students this fall makes this endeavor all the more important and timely! Access to high quality books by writers of color has never been more important, especially for teens. Phoebe Robinson, comedian and writer, has started a publishing imprint called "Tiny Reparations." When I heard her talk about this project, I thought buying and distributing these books could be a tiny reparation - for sure not enough, but a tiny start.
Thank you for your consideration.
Laura & Erika
- - - - - - - - -
Mission: To get high quality books by, for and about BIPOC into the hands of students who don't typically own many books.
We work in junior highs and we know that kids want access to high quality books by authors of color. There is also a huge gulf between kids who own their own books and kids who do not.
Books take disposable income.
When you own a book, you can go back to it over and over again to re-read, browse, or loan to a younger sibling or friend. If you are reading this post right now, chances are you can walk to a room or two in your home and see books stacked on shelves.
As a media center para (Erika) and reading teacher (Laura), we see the power of books to help kids make sense of themselves and the world. We see the importance of all students seeing themselves reflected in books. We see the value of kids seeing other races and cultures reflected in books.
100% of funds will go directly to buying books by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and authors of diverse backgrounds and cultures. These books will be put directly into the hands (and backpacks) of kids who normally have low-to-no book ownership.
Finally, we will work on compiling a list of titles so kids get to choose books they want to read and keep! We are happy to post this list so y'all can see it too. It will always be a work-in-progress as new and exciting titles come out!
This idea was inspired by "Stamped" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi, as well as by a former student of Jensen's who generously donated to get approximately 100 books into kids' hands!
Finally, the pandemic and whatever that holds for students this fall makes this endeavor all the more important and timely! Access to high quality books by writers of color has never been more important, especially for teens. Phoebe Robinson, comedian and writer, has started a publishing imprint called "Tiny Reparations." When I heard her talk about this project, I thought buying and distributing these books could be a tiny reparation - for sure not enough, but a tiny start.
Thank you for your consideration.
Laura & Erika
