Little Diverse Libraries

In May 2019, FCS 6th graders launched a unique initiative to get more diverse books into kids’ hands nationwide. Everyone can help!

The idea was born during discussions about Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming in Holly Stephens’s 6th grade Language Arts class. The students talked about how transformative it was for the protagonist, a black girl growing up during the Civil Rights movement, to read a book by and about a black person.

The students decided on a simple, free strategy to distribute diverse books: Little Free Libraries. Put a diverse book in one near you, take a picture, and spread the word with the hashtag the students have started, #LittleDiverseLibraries. 

“We would like other kids to be able to see themselves in books and know that their story matters,” say the 6th graders in a press release that they are distributing to the media and area bookstores. With Holly’s help, the students are creating the talking points, social media toolkit, and other resources posted on this page to help spread the word. 

How to help

1. From your own library or a bookstore, find a diverse book (books by or featuring protagonists of color, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, or physically different people) to share.
2. Put it in a Little Free Library. Find one near you here: littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap
3. Take a picture of yourself donating the book so that people can see the book cover and the Little Free Library (and your smiling face, too, if you like!).
4. Post the picture to your social media accounts with the hashtag #littlediverselibraries.
 

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Downloads

FCS 6th graders have prepared the following media materials to help spread the word about the Little Diverse Libraries initiative.

Located in College Park, MD, Friends Community School is a progressive Quaker K-8 day school, founded on the belief that every child is a valued member of our community. We offer a challenging curriculum imbued with strong values of equality, integrity, community, environmental stewardship, simplicity and peaceful conflict resolution, rooted in our Quaker heritage.
Friends Community School
5901 Westchester Park Drive
College Park, Maryland 20740
301-441-2100