Read In Color
Miniature houses mounted on poles. Peek inside…it’s free books!
Little free libraries are book-sharing systems that bring neighbors together around a love of reading. Little Free Library – whose motto is “take a book, leave a book” – became a nonprofit in 2012 after its founder, the late Todd Bol, connected with his friends and neighbors over the little library he built in honor of his mother, a teacher. Since then, Little Free Library has expanded to more than 125,000 libraries across 100 countries worldwide.
(Did you know that BookGive is an official book source listed on the Little Free Library website? Denver area library stewards can come to the station during our open hours and pick up books for the libraries they support. Email hello@bookgivedenver.org for more information.)
Little free libraries (or LFLs) may seem ubiquitous as you drive around many Denver neighborhoods. However, if you look at the interactive map of little free libraries featured on the Little Free Library website or using their new app, it is immediately apparent that there are many parts of Denver with no LFLs at all. Most of these neighborhoods are known as book deserts.
The organization End Book Deserts describes a book desert as “a geographic area where reading materials are difficult to obtain.” Their website notes that children living in high poverty neighborhoods have significantly fewer books in their homes than children in wealthier neighborhoods.
The disparities escalate when overlaid with racial demographics. Scholastic’s 2019 report showed that “Hispanic and Black children have fewer books in their homes than white, multi-racial, Asian or children of other racial backgrounds.”
As we know, access to books is an important first step. Even when children do have access to books, however, a whopping 75% of books feature white characters.
In our work over the past two-plus years, BookGive has become more and more aware of the lack of diverse books circulating in the seven-county region we serve. We see few of them come in with book donations, yet receive many requests for diverse books needed by beneficiaries like Title I schools, health clinics, food banks and human service organizations. We have struggled to meet the need for diverse books in our communities.
Until now.
This summer, Little Free Library and BookGive are partnering to bring free diverse books to Denver communities that lack access to reading materials through Little Free Library’s Read in Color initiative.
Little Free Library, based in Hudson,Wisconsin, less than 50 miles from the Twin Cities, launched Read in Color (RIC) in Fall 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd. Little Free Library sought to create meaningful change by amplifying diverse voices and uniting communities through library boxes. Inspired by how few children’s books feature diverse representation, they wanted to elevate “understanding, empathy, and inclusion.” The program began in Minneapolis, Minnesota with donations of book-sharing boxes and over 5,000 diverse books. It has since expanded to 11 other cities, including Atlanta, Phoenix, Washington D.C. and Tulsa.
The Read in Color program has four key components:
- The Read in Color Pledge: In signing the pledge, participants commit to reading and sharing diverse books. You can sign the pledge now, and see who else has signed on the Pledge Wall.
- Little Free Library Installations: Little Free Library works with local partners to install donated library boxes in communities with limited access to books.
- Free diverse books: Little Free Library donates diverse books directly to communities, buying from independent and BIPOC-owned bookstores when possible.
- Recommended Reading List: Little Free Library’s incredible Diverse Books Advisory Group put together reading lists for all ages under the categories of Antiracism & Inclusion; African American/Black; Asian American/Pacific Islander; Indigenous; Jewish; Latinx, LGBTQ+; Muslim; and Disability & Neurodiversity.
Now, Read in Color is launching in Denver! Little Free Library has chosen BookGive to help install ten book-sharing boxes and fill them with 2,000 diverse books.
The RIC project is perfect in fulfilling our mission of sparking a lifelong love of reading through distributing free books. As you understand, sourcing diverse books is a challenge. With the support of Little Free Library, it’ll be much easier to get the diverse books we need.
This past month, BookGive has been reaching out to organizations across Denver, many of which we have built strong relationships with, to secure placements for the ten book-sharing boxes. We are excited to confirm our first two placements at affordable housing communities managed by Delwest Management. Park Hill Station Apartments will be hosting the official launch event on July 28. You can keep updated with this project by following our socials (linked at the bottom of the page.)
Maybe one of the reasons you follow BookGive is our role as a community resource. We are proud to be a connecting point. Books come to us. We get them into the hands of new readers. With Read In Color, BookGive forges many new connections. With community partners. Among neighbors. Between LFL stewards. And with supporters like you.
Stay tuned!
This blog post written by Nava Klopper, BookGive 2022 Summer Intern.
