A recent donation may help inspire students at an elementary school in Bristow.
The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority has donated a collection of books to the Chris Yung Elementary School library in honor of Black History Month, according to a release.
“We believe that representation matters,” Amanda Whitfield, a sorority member and mother of a Chris Yung Elementary second-grader, said in a release. “That children of all races, genders, abilities, etc. are empowered when they are able to read stories that feature characters that look like them and share similar backgrounds, and they are further inspired when they read works written by authors who understand their life experiences.”
Whitfield wrote some of the 35 donated books, which feature African American characters.
Some of the stories contain action heroes and others are biographies. Several of the books aim to teach readers about “persevering through adversity.”
Kathy Notyce, the school’s principal, said the stories will encourage students.
“The 35 books will provide students of color many opportunities to see themselves in roles such as educators, presidents, scientists, etc.,” Notyce remarked. “These additional books will be added to our collection and will inspire and motivate all of our students to dream big and believe in themselves.”
