Pelham Equity Book Drive

My name is Sophia Leung. I am a senior at PMHS, and I have attended Pelham schools my entire life. In an effort to support our district’s commitment to equity and inclusivity, a few of my peers and I want to help our elementary schools diversify their classroom libraries.

Each of the classrooms in Pelham’s four elementary schools contains a collection of books for student use, most consisting of typical children’s stories; but typical quickly becomes stereotypical. (e.g. white protagonists, nonwhite antagonists, fairy princess books for girls, sports books for boys)

We want to diversify the reading material available to students to foster a more inclusive environment at the elementary level by obtaining more books that represent nonwhite cultures and “atypical” stories and relationships.

We’re asking Pelham community members, particularly nonwhite families, to consider donating new or gently used books to help diversify elementary classroom libraries.

Read more.