One woman raises money to purchase books written specifically to highlight stories of Black and Brown culture.
By Debbie Hall
A light is being shined on systemic racism, and many people of all races are coming together to eradicate this blight on humanity. One person is Sara Bloom Taylor who is taking action to change the current landscape of the country by addressing racism at a younger age. She is working to raise at least $5,000 to purchase 300 children’s books written specifically to highlight stories of resistance, normalize Black and Brown narratives from Black, Indigenous, People of Color authors, and tell the country’s difficult history in a way that focuses on activism. The Conscious Kid website helped Sara compile the list of books to be purchased.
“In the last several days, I have spent time reflecting on what I can personally do in my local community. I want to combat the effects of systemic racism that have plagued our society for far too long and have led to countless Black individuals’ murders.”
Books will be given to children living in Nevada (especially in the Las Vegas area), so they can find encouragement and see themselves reflected in the stories. Las Vegas public schools—especially those in lower-income neighborhoods—lack serious funding and resources. The books will be purchased from a local bookstore and then donated to the nonprofit organization Spread the Word Nevada.
Through the efforts of Spread the Word Nevada, 59,000 books are donated each month. The organization partners with 62 Nevada elementary schools and works to add more. Spread the Word Nevada will ensure that these books get into the hands and homes of Nevada children. A separate donation of books will also be made to the East Las Vegas and Historic West Las Vegas Libraries.
This children’s reading list will address issues of race and racism; focus on taking action, highlights resistance, resilience, and activism; and seeks to empower the youth of all races to participate in racial justice. Children need to know what individual, institutional, and internalized racism look like and what they can do about it.
Sara is a project manager and recently served on the dedicated team of volunteers in the Las Vegas chapter of Creative Mornings. She calls herself a “builder of relationships. Big picture dreamer. Detail oriented doer. Organizer of things. Essay writer. Wanderer. Curator. Baker. Artist.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up, and a list of the books that will be purchased is in the description. To donate, click on this link.
