UPTOWN — A Courtenay Elementary teacher is turning to the public for help diversifying the school's library to better reflect the school's diverse population.
Jessica Eaton, who teaches at the school at 4420 N. Beacon St., created a Donors Choose project asking for $320 to help fund "the one area where we are lacking diversity:" the school's library. Donors Choose helps connect donors to classrooms in need, "moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education," according to its website.
"Unlike the diversity that is present in our classrooms, our libraries feature mainly white, middle-class characters, neglecting the rich backgrounds of our students and ignoring the experiences that they bring with them. Our students need books that will act as mirrors and will allow them to see themselves represented in literature," Eaton said on the project's website.
"Located in one of Chicago's more diverse neighborhoods, our school serves as home to students of a multitude of different cultural backgrounds. Our population is mainly black with mostly African-American students, but we also have many African immigrants who have come from countries like the Congo and Nigeria," said Eaton, adding the school also has a large Hispanic population and the school's population includes kids who speak 12 languages.
The school's population is 45 percent black, 37 percent Hispanic and 11 percent white, according to the CPS website.
The money would go toward books such as children's books written by Nikki Grimes, "Lola Plants a Garden," "Big Hair, Don't Care," and "Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez."
"These books would be great additions to our library and would validate our students' cultural backgrounds. It is natural for readers to try to relate to a character or story as part of the reading experience, and this is especially important for children of immigrant, biracial and bicultural parents," she wrote.
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