My students need 15 books that feature African-American characters they can relate to.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Lavigna's classroom raised $160
This project is fully funded
My Students
"They don't look like me" is a phrase commonly heard in my classroom when my students are flipping through books. In an African-American girls classroom, my students have struggled to find role models in literature that look like them and that they can relate to culturally.
My students are four-year-old girls living in the most under-served area.
Our all-girls school is 98% African-American and over 90% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch. My girls are bright, curious, sweet, and full of excitement for learning. At home, they may not have access to any books, much less stories that are culturally appropriate. When they are read to, or when they look at books themselves, they are enthralled and love to ask more. Because they do not have access to travel or extracurricular resources, books are a way to give them experiences about other cultures, languages, and people and more importantly, connect them with their own African-American role models.
My Project
I have chosen books that are 100% filled with African-American role models, by authors such as Ezra Jack Keats, Donald Crews, Faith Ringgold, and Vera Wang. These stories feature African-American protagonists and are rich stories filled with culture and heritage. My girls will be able to read these stories and recognize their faces, heritage, and culture.
I want my students to feel welcomed, integrated, and included in everything we do in our classroom, especially the literature we use which is so experiential and visual.
Having characters that look like them and share their culture is an important way to show them that they are valued, as well as teaching them deeply about their culture.
More than three‑quarters of 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
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