EMBRACING RACE
EC Scholars raise funds for children’s books featuring people of color
Serving the public and creating an inclusive and inspiring community are key parts of the EC Scholars motto.
Keeping in line with this creed, the EC Scholars organized a Books that Embrace Race fundraiser that raised over $4,200 for children’s books.
“We launched this fundraiser during the summer of 2020, when major protests were being held around the world in reaction to George Floyd’s death. Recognizing the need for change in our local, national and global communities, we decided to start by organizing a fundraiser to purchase and donate children’s books that feature people of color as the protagonists or heroes to help promote positive identity development among youth in Greenville,” said Victoria Chan, senior EC Scholar and public health and psychology double major.
According to senior EC Scholar Tiana Washington, the Black Lives Matter protests and COVID-19 pandemic showed a need in the community.
EC Scholars packed part of the book collection in a suitcase to share with teachers at the ECU Community School on Oct. 21. The rest of the books would be delivered later.
EC Scholars already had a working partnership with the Jack Minges Unit of the Boys & Girls Club, and the idea for the fundraiser grew out of that partnership. Due to the pandemic, many after-school programs were suspended, and schools were limited or unable to have in-person instruction.
“To help supplement the hard work of teachers, parents, caregivers and community members, the EC Scholars program decided to offer diverse children’s books to promote literacy and cultural competence,” Chan said.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children as young as 6 months old can recognize differences based on race and can begin to internalize racial biases between the ages of 2 and 4.
“There is very little representation that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and other minority children have where they can see themselves as the hero or the teacher,” said Washington, a neuroscience and psychology double major. “This was an excellent way to defy stereotypes, encourage reading, showcase minority creators and uplift minority youth.”
Once the EC Scholars began their GoFundMe page, they worked with Dr. Johna Faulconer in the ECU College of Education to curate a list of books they could purchase. Scholars had decided they would donate books to the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain, Little Free Libraries in the Greenville area and the ECU Community School. In addition to the money raised through the fundraiser, READ ENC donated about 300 brand-new books.
“I have never been prouder to be associated with this group of young people,” said Dr. Todd Fraley, Honors College associate dean and EC Scholars program director. “They saw a need in their community, set an aggressive goal and worked together to create positive change. Their efforts are inspiring, and I hope they truly understand the impact of this important initiative. They are all a wonderful example of what can be achieved when you combine selflessness, determination and a commitment to justice with empathy.”
The EC Scholars also reached out to their fellow Honors College students for help with promotion and raising money.
“When the Honors College Student Council heard about this endeavor, we thought it was a great idea and wanted to do all that we could to help,” said Jayda Bodine, a sophomore EC Scholar who is the service coordinator on the council. “We came up with the idea to do a virtual 5K in support of the cause. We thought this would be a perfect event that people could do given all the restrictions that were in place at the time due to COVID-19.”
Scott Venable, a traffic safety officer with the Greenville Police Department, hands pens to students at the ECU Community School. First responders put on a parade at the school Oct. 23.
The EC Scholars began distributing books in October with more books on the way. One of their first stops was the ECU Community School.
“We are incredibly thankful at the Community School for the donation of the texts, especially texts that are age-appropriate for our children in kindergarten through fifth grade and texts that are representative of our student population,” said ECU Community School Principal Tracy Cole.
Community School students will be able to take books home for reading assignments outside of class, while some books will stay in classroom libraries. Students received their books on Oct. 23 after participating in a parade to recognize first responders as community heroes. The two events were tied together since the books featured heroes and students had just celebrated Red Ribbon Week, an alcohol, tobacco, drug and violence prevention awareness campaign.
“We want to encourage our children to be lifelong readers. To be able to receive texts that support our philosophy is important to helping students grow,” Cole said. “Plus the texts share with us things people can do to help others. That is also a thing we work to foster at the Community School. We’re here to help others, to be kind to others. The characters are representative of our student population. It’s a win-win all the way around.”
Several of the EC Scholars said they hope the books bring joy to the children who get to read them. To help with that, EC Scholars wrote positive and encouraging notes for children to find in each of the books. They also hope the books will empower youth and initiate critical conversations on race and racism.
“In so much of the media, people of color are the comedic relief or a side character or a stereotype with little real development,” Washington said. “I want children to know they’re so much more than that and that they can be anything they wish to be. I hope these books create the environment where black and brown youth can see themselves as the default and feel safe and accepted.”
For more information on EC Scholars, visit the EC Scholars website.