Riah&Tys Black Characters Matter Mission-New Goal
Donation protected
**Update *** We have exceeded our primary goal of $5000 thank you to all whose helped us get there. We will not stop this mission it’s bigger than our community! We will now work on a goal to put kids books with Black Characters throughout the state of CT- with that said we have a stretch goal of $10,000! We appreciate All the support CT!!!
Members of the Love You First Group have teamed up to make sure that when we return to school our libraries contain books that celebrate diversity at every level.
Mariah recently read a poem at a Juneteenth Celebration in New Britain. Her poem was powerful, containing lines such as "I've been told I'm yellow or light skinned," "Young girl with the puffy hair, teased since I was three," "taught by my parents to stand tall even if I'm different than them all,"her poem ended with the line "Love your neighbor no matter what race or color, because love wins when we are kind to one another."
These powerful words were spoken by an 8 year old who wants to make a difference. Mariah and Ty know that books have the power to bridge the cultural gap. There are plenty of books containing historic African Americans within our school libraries and the month of February is a time where we celebrate their amazing accomplishments. However, there is a lack of fictional children's books that contain fun loving main characters of color. Books that teach important social emotional skills, such as self awareness, self management, creating positive relationships, decision making, and personal responsibility are highlighted with white characters. It is important for students to see characters of all colors when reading and listening to stories that help them build and understand these skills.
Giving teachers access to books containing characters of all colors will create a safe environment for conversations between teachers and their students about understanding and appreciating race. Mariah and Ty have a goal to raise $5,000 all money raised will be used to purchase books for classrooms and community libraries within New Britain, CT.
Mariah recently read a poem at a Juneteenth Celebration in New Britain. Her poem was powerful, containing lines such as "I've been told I'm yellow or light skinned," "Young girl with the puffy hair, teased since I was three," "taught by my parents to stand tall even if I'm different than them all,"her poem ended with the line "Love your neighbor no matter what race or color, because love wins when we are kind to one another."
These powerful words were spoken by an 8 year old who wants to make a difference. Mariah and Ty know that books have the power to bridge the cultural gap. There are plenty of books containing historic African Americans within our school libraries and the month of February is a time where we celebrate their amazing accomplishments. However, there is a lack of fictional children's books that contain fun loving main characters of color. Books that teach important social emotional skills, such as self awareness, self management, creating positive relationships, decision making, and personal responsibility are highlighted with white characters. It is important for students to see characters of all colors when reading and listening to stories that help them build and understand these skills.
Giving teachers access to books containing characters of all colors will create a safe environment for conversations between teachers and their students about understanding and appreciating race. Mariah and Ty have a goal to raise $5,000 all money raised will be used to purchase books for classrooms and community libraries within New Britain, CT.
Organiser and beneficiary
Carrie Clark
Organiser
New Britain, CT
Melody Cubano
Beneficiary
