The Conscious Kid is an education, research and policy organization that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity and bias

API Storytime and Book Donations to Schools

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Educators and caregivers need to be intentional about creating space for the voices and stories of Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) because these communities are not often included in school curriculum, home libraries or children’s media. Out of all racial groups, API’s receive the least attention in school curriculum and textbooks. The invisibility and erasure of API history, contributions, and experiences, and the limited stereotypical depictions we do see, cannot be separated from the violence in Atlanta and Indianapolis targeting API communities—or the alarming rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that have been happening across the country.

In an effort to amplify API stories and make them accessible, we teamed up with Harry Shum Jr., Padma Lakshmi, Ming-Na Wen, Randall Park and Asian-owned media company, Wong Fu Productions, on a series of API storytime read-alouds. Together, we are dedicated to making sure API voices and stories are represented in classrooms and curriculum, and that anti-Asian bias and stereotypes are countered from the earliest ages and grade levels. These read-alouds will be featured on the YouTube Kids app and our website each week during the month of May. We would love for you to share them with your kids and students.

To further support the inclusion of API stories in classrooms, we are also donating a curated list of 10 titles by Asian authors (featured above) to Title I preschools and elementary schools. In partnership with Google for Education, who has been an ongoing and invaluable partner to us in supporting inclusive classrooms, we are able to fund a significant donation of these titles. Thanks to their generous contribution of $100,000, we are able to provide these books free to educators in over 2,000 schools across the country.

These titles not only include API representation, they include real life counter-narratives about how to navigate and disrupt anti-Asian racism. We hope they serve as a starting point towards countering anti-Asian bias and making sure API’s are included and seen in classrooms and curriculum.

If you are a Title I preschool or elementary school teacher who is interested in receiving a free set of these titles, please fill out this Google Form here.

If you would like to join us in this effort and partner with us to reach even more schools, please click Support. Thank you for your commitment to counter anti-Asian racism and to share, center and celebrate API voices and stories.