My students need a library of books that mirrors them, through race, socioeconomic statuses, and day-to-day experiences of being a minority in America.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My students are beautiful examples of diamonds in the rough. They each represent a part of society that is always cast in negative lights, however, their brilliance is the hidden beauty. My students battle the day to day harshness of living in poverty, yet they do this with the deepest of smiles and the most loyal hearts.
Simply put, my students are beautiful souls aiming to share themselves with the world.
However, this isn’t the easiest thing to do, when living in Macon, Georgia. Macon is a beautiful location with a rich history and an even deeper legacy of greatness. But, there is a blemish, one that affects almost every community; poverty. Poverty impacts our youth in ways that influence their tomorrow, it is my passion to try to influence those impacts to be a little more positive.
My Project
Recently, Childish Gambino, an actor and musical lyricist, released an instant internet phenomenon titled, "This is America." The video featured caricature poses as representations of a Jim Crow Era, and school-aged kids dancing as the world's traumas play themselves out in the background. "This is America," was Gambino's emergence into the class of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. How, you might ask, does this relate to a culturally relevant library, well, my students are attempting to dance, as the realities of Macon, GA transpires in the background. These are students who run from the idea of reading and it is greatly reflected in their academic performance.
This past year, my 9th graders read at a 6.4 reading level, meaning 6th grade, 4th month.
Sadly, this was an essential contributor to their state test and overall success of high school.
If you choose to donate to this project, you will be creating a relationship between a child and a book. For some, this may be the only positive relationship with a piece of literature. Gambino's, "This is America," has the underlying tone of familiarity. By showing relationships of a diverse range of American issues, Gambino reveals a heavy truth; chaos will be ignored because of various forms of social media. Let's create a relationship between books, thus, transforming how we react to an America of today.
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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. Lawrence and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
