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So the Brown Girls Unite library has been a success! Here at Brown Girls Unite I not only empower through Fine Art but also through Diverse Books, so over the summer we launched a micro library filled with diverse books. The feedback from the community was great! Neighbors gave unsolicited donations of books by the bag full. Children raced to the library to find a book, then came back with friends. These young readers could not believe that they could actually take the books home. I specifically remember two young girls around the age of six who told me "Thank you so much for the books!" which really touched me.
Children are appreciative of the books and open to reading in a neighborhood that 40% of the population is below poverty level. The median income of the neighborhood is only $24,087 a year and 73.8% of the population is Black/African American. There is a major misconception that urban, African American children don't read, don't want to read, and the community is not supportive of education. Over the past month my rejection of that misconception has been justified in the excitement of young readers at the library, the empty shelves, anonymous donations, and the absence of vandalism. Can you believe that, no vandalism! The micro library is on a very busy corner across the street from a park which receives a lot of traffic. There has been a great opportunity for vandalism and yet nothing, kids like the library.
The initial books that stocked the library were all gone by the end of August. Just recently I restocked the shelves with second-hand books purchased from the Friends of the Library. I purchased a variety of books that featured diverse characters that are African American and Native American/First Peoples. These novels feature brown girl protagonists that experience the everyday difficulties of school and historically inspired fiction. I also picked up numerous books on foreign countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, and Nigeria. I think my young readers will be inspired to learn about people who look like them that live differently.
A few featured titles in the micro-library this month are...
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis a story about an African American family during the Great Depression searching for their father.
Starring Grace by Mary Hoffman, the story of a little girl with a big imagination. Grace and her friends imagine new adventures in her backyard in this sequel.
Children are appreciative of the books and open to reading in a neighborhood that 40% of the population is below poverty level. The median income of the neighborhood is only $24,087 a year and 73.8% of the population is Black/African American. There is a major misconception that urban, African American children don't read, don't want to read, and the community is not supportive of education. Over the past month my rejection of that misconception has been justified in the excitement of young readers at the library, the empty shelves, anonymous donations, and the absence of vandalism. Can you believe that, no vandalism! The micro library is on a very busy corner across the street from a park which receives a lot of traffic. There has been a great opportunity for vandalism and yet nothing, kids like the library.
The initial books that stocked the library were all gone by the end of August. Just recently I restocked the shelves with second-hand books purchased from the Friends of the Library. I purchased a variety of books that featured diverse characters that are African American and Native American/First Peoples. These novels feature brown girl protagonists that experience the everyday difficulties of school and historically inspired fiction. I also picked up numerous books on foreign countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, and Nigeria. I think my young readers will be inspired to learn about people who look like them that live differently.A few featured titles in the micro-library this month are...
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis a story about an African American family during the Great Depression searching for their father.
Starring Grace by Mary Hoffman, the story of a little girl with a big imagination. Grace and her friends imagine new adventures in her backyard in this sequel.