Megan Lehman wrote to let us know there’s a collection drive for “diverse dolls and books”. It wraps up this week, along with Black History Month:
On a given day there are between 1,300 – 1,500 youth in foster care throughout King County and 9,000 statewide. Many of the kids in foster care are disproportionately youth of color who face unique challenges. Treehouse addresses the essential education and enrichment needs of kids in foster care by helping them succeed in school, fulfilling key material needs, and providing the important childhood experiences every child deserves.
Treehouse serves 7,000 foster youth annually. Of those 7,000 kids, 40% are African-American, 21% are white, 15% are multi-racial, almost 10% are Hispanic or Latino, and 8% are Native American. One of the key services Treehouse provides to foster families is the Wearhouse, a free store where youth and their caregivers can shop for high quality new and like-new clothing, shoes, school supplies, toys, books and other essentials.
The Wearhouse is entirely supported by generous donations from the community. When I visited the Wearhouse recently I was struck by how it felt just like a real store, with thoughtful and attractive displays, except everything in it was free. Thinking of my daughter, I admired the full wall display of new-in-the-box Barbies. But as I walked closer, I noticed that 95% of the Barbies were white-skinned.
Inside the Wearhouse, there is a cozy book nook, with enticing displays organized by age group and category. I saw many of my childhood favorites there, but did you know that only 10% of American children’s books include diverse characters? African American children’s book author and college professor, Rudine Sims Bishop address the importance of diverse books:
“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.”
How can you help?
- During February, plan a trip with your family to pick up an African American doll or diverse book to donate to youth in foster care (get one for yourself too!). Books can be new or gently used. Dolls should be new in the box.
- Bring the younger siblings to a special storytime, hosted by Treehouse at Mockingbird Books, Feb 27th at 11am (free & all ages)
Where can I find African American dolls and diverse books?
- DOLLS: Some toy stores don’t carry many African American dolls; it’s a good idea to call the store to see what’s in stock before you go. For Barbies, try Target and Toys R Us. For other kinds of dolls, try Top Ten Toys or Snapdoodles (in Redmond & Kenmore).
- BOOKS: Find the perfect title through the “We Need Diverse Books” campaign: weneeddiversebooks.org. Mockingbird Books (7220 Woodlawn Ave NE) is partnering with this drive and will have kid-directed book displays.
Learn more at weneeddiversebooks.org and www.treehouseforkids.org
I’d like to put in a big plug for the wonderful LOCAL Wallingford children’s bookstore, Alphabet Soup on 45th St., (also woman-owned), which has an excellent collection of books, both new and used, including a good selection of books by and about people of color, and about people from all over the world. There are also excellent lists of suggested titles available at Teaching Tolerance’s website tolerance.org, and at the Seattle Public Library.
“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.”
Reminds me of all the liberal teachers going on about their conservative hatred in the classroom!
@2 [citation needed]