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Mrs. Ashaba from Philadelphia, PA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Ashaba is requesting

A Library to Empower

My students need books that reflect who they are and their history.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Ashaba's classroom raised $399

This project is fully funded

My Students

My students love reading. As a teacher, I want my students to continue to grow as readers and understand that they can read about people who look like them - books that tell THEIR story and reflect who they are as African Americans.

My school does not have a library for student use.

Instead, each teacher has a classroom library. We often fill our libraries with donated books from the local book bank. Unfortunately, many of these stories do not include people of color in the illustrations. Additionally, in our media today, being light-skinned or even white is seen as better and more beautiful. It is still more difficult to find black and brown toy dolls and action figures than white ones. I believe my students should instead be surrounded with pictures and stories of people who look like them. I want my students to feel empowered and proud of who they are and what they look like. I want my students to have role models of people who also look like them.

My Project

I envision my classroom library filled with picture books full of black and brown individuals. I am requesting both fiction and nonfiction titles, with many of the books being picture books. In my classroom, I read aloud many picture books during character building lessons and to illustrate concepts across subjects. The books that I am requesting tell stories of Africans and African Americans as individuals and as a people. As I use these books as read-alouds during my lessons, I feel that my students will be enriched and empowered by the stories of Malcolm X, Wilma Rudolph, George Washington Carver, Zora Neal Hurston, and more. I am also requesting some key novels, a few books that specifically empower girls, and a read-aloud handbook to help me make the most of these precious resources.

While the books I am requesting cost money, I strongly believe that the impact they will have on my current and future students is priceless.

To build the self-esteem of children is invaluable. I hope that with these books, my students will gain confidence in who they are and knowledge about people who look like them.

Mrs. Ashaba West Oak Lane Charter School Grades 3-5

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Philadelphia, PA View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

28 students impacted 7donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Ashaba is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace • Amazon Business $14.40 1 $14.40
Salt In His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream • Amazon Business $13.97 1 $13.97
Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation • Amazon Business $13.90 1 $13.90
The Read-Aloud Handbook: Seventh Edition • Amazon Business $13.84 1 $13.84
One Crazy Summer • Amazon Business $13.59 1 $13.59
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball • Amazon Business $13.17 1 $13.17
Grace for President • Amazon Business $12.99 1 $12.99
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) • Amazon Business $12.65 1 $12.65
Read-Aloud African-American Stories: 40 Selections from the World's Best-Loved Stories for Parent and Child to Share • Amazon Business $12.56 1 $12.56
What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah • Amazon Business $11.71 1 $11.71
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad • Amazon Business $11.44 1 $11.44
The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children • Amazon Business $9.95 1 $9.95
Brown Girl Dreaming (Newbery Honor Book) • Amazon Business $9.79 1 $9.79
Rosie Revere, Engineer • Amazon Business $9.70 1 $9.70
Joshua's Masai Mask • Amazon Business $8.95 1 $8.95
Love to Langston • Amazon Business $8.06 1 $8.06
Something Beautiful • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Knockin' On Wood: Starring Peg Leg Bates • Amazon Business $7.97 1 $7.97
Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree (Reading Rainbow Book) • Amazon Business $7.95 1 $7.95
Richard Wright and the Library Card • Amazon Business $7.74 1 $7.74
Big Jabe • Amazon Business $7.20 1 $7.20
The Secret Footprints • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
Lies and Other Tall Tales • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
John Henry: An American Legend (Knopf Children's Paperbacks) • Amazon Business $6.79 1 $6.79
Mr. George Baker (Reading Rainbow Books) • Amazon Business $6.78 1 $6.78
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World • Amazon Business $6.58 1 $6.58
Beatrice's Goat • Amazon Business $6.54 1 $6.54
Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly • Amazon Business $6.29 1 $6.29
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman • Amazon Business $5.98 1 $5.98
George Washington Carver: The Peanut Wizard (Smart About History) • Amazon Business $5.65 1 $5.65
Time For Kids: Jesse Owens: Running into History (Time for Kids Biographies) • Amazon Business $3.99 1 $3.99

Materials cost

$304.09

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.56

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$338.65

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$59.76

Total project goal

$398.41

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $398.41

4 Donors

-$220.00

Donations toward project cost

-$187.00

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$33.00

Matching donations from our partners

-$178.41

Match offers toward project cost

-$151.65

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$26.76

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Ashaba and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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