Read in Color has arrived in St. Louis! Change and Action for Racial Equity (C.A.R.E.), part of the Spring 2024 Read in Color cohort, hosted a community launch for nearly 100 community members. The event featured a surprise book raffle of 120 books, gift bags, and local author readings, as well as the awarding of a plaque to thank a volunteer for his work installing the Little Free Libraries that C.A.R.E. stewards.
“The Change and Action for Racial Equity (C.A.R.E.) Read In Color (RIC) team was thrilled to receive the RIC grant as it helped us to realize our dreams of installing 50 Little Free Library book sharing boxes in St. Louis,” said Dr. Ruth Banks, a C.A.R.E. volunteer. “We endeavored to place LFLs in areas deemed as book deserts and receiving the additional 10 libraries along with the supply of books was warmly received by our community.”
Danielle King, owner of Left Bank Books in St. Louis, said, “It is one of the great privileges of my life to run Left Bank Books, and our ability to donate books to the LFLs is why we do what we do! Sometime in the past few months a young family came into shop. When they got to the front desk, the youngest child exclaimed with true delight that our store sticker was “just like the one on the library box!”
The Read in Color initiative has launched in 21 U.S. cities to date, from New York and Washington, D.C. to Atlanta and Phoenix, with plans for even greater expansion in the future. More than 250 Read in Color Little Free Libraries and 50,000+ diverse books celebrating Black, Latine, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and other important voices have been shared so far. Learn more and sign the Read in Color pledge!