For this piece, we are highlighting an
inspiring project we read about on the LEE & LOW
Blog that focuses on delivering books for
immigrant children held in detention centers. This special project was implemented
by the Children in Crisis Project from
REFORMA, the National Association To Promote
Library and Information Services to Latinos. Their project underscores the
power of books to create a space for empathy, understanding, and hope. To read
the original blog post, please click here.
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| Preparing books for donation (image from REFORMA website) |
Last
year, over 70,000 unaccompanied children crossed the Southern border into the
United States. This is a true humanitarian challenge, with many of these
children ending up in detention centers, awaiting immigration processing or
deportation. They have few or no personal belongings, don’t know English, and
have been separated from their families with no sense of if or when they will
be reunited.
Oralia Garza de Cortes, Lucía Gonzalez, and Patrick
Sullivan are three longtime members of REFORMA who were moved to
help. They implemented the Children in Crisis project to solicit donations,
purchase, and deliver books and backpacks to the children in detention centers.
In the first phase of the drive, they raised enough funds and donations to
deliver 300 books to children in the McAllen Texas Centralized Processing
Center, and they have since delivered several hundred more. Currently they
are coordinating donations of backpacks that will contain books as well as
paper, pencils, erasers, crayons and a writing journal for children to use in
their journey toward their destination.
The project is a
moving illustration of how librarians essentially serve as caretakers of
their communities, bridging the gap between resources and the people who need
them. “As the immigrant child that I was, I remember that first librarian
taking me to the Spanish section with three or four Spanish books. I hope every
child will find that librarian, like an oasis in a desert,” said Lucía
Gonzalez.
When asked why they
felt that librarians should have a role in outreach to these children, Oralia
Garza de Cortes said, “We reached out as a humanitarian cause, just something
so overwhelming that we really had to come together to do something.”
Patrick Sullivan
added, “It’s also a counterbalance to some of those xenophobic Americans. The
initial reception that some of these people received . . . was depressing and
doesn’t show how we are as Americans. Librarians reach out to their communities
every day and this was something we had to respond to. ”
The process for
getting the books into children’s hands was a challenging one, given
detention centers’ heavy regulation and policing. The group made contact with
the border patrol, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and even contractors
in order to find a way to deliver the books. “The books were welcome, but
the problem was getting in touch with the right people,” said Sullivan. They
were prohibited from entering the detention facilities themselves to
deliver the books.
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| Delivering books to a shelter. (image from REFORMA website) |
Although it would be
an added effort, the group decided to include bookplates in each donated book,
an idea that came from longtime REFORMA member Sandra Valderrama. “It was
cumbersome, but to have the message in the book saying, ‘This is your book, and
you’re free to take it wherever you want and it will give you light and be your
companion,’ it was a very powerful message,” said Garza de Cortes.
Said Gonzalez, “For
many of them this is the first book they own and it is a very unique
experience.”
The group hopes the
donated books will serve as the beginning, not the end, of children’s relationship
with their libraries. “What we’d like to do is interject ourselves to those
kids who will eventually end up in the United States,” said Sullivan. “There
are contacts that can happen that go beyond just the books. We’re trying to
convey the idea that libraries are these free open places with lots of
information.”
“The families need
guidance,” said Gonzalez. “If they don’t have a place like the public library,
where are they going to go? How are they going to get this information?”
Garza
de Cortes, Gonzalez, and Sullivan were named 2015 Movers
& Shakers by School Library Journal for
their work. You can learn more about ways to help here.
This piece was written by Hannah
Ehrlich, Marketing &
Publicity Director at LEE & LOW BOOKS an
independent children’s book publisher specializing in diversity. It is the
company’s goal to meet the need for stories that children of color can identify
with and that all children can enjoy. LEE & LOW makes a special effort to work with artists of color,
and takes pride in nurturing many authors and illustrators who are new to the
world of children’s book publishing.
Additional
Resources:
- Central American Children’s Testimony Humanizes Debate Around Unaccompanied Minors (American Immigration Council) – Excerpts from testimony given by three children to Congress, who were once unaccompanied minors from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, about the violence they experienced which hastened their journeys to the U.S.
- At the Crossroads for Unaccompanied Migrant Children (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services) – This report highlights the challenges and vulnerabilities facing unaccompanied children before and after they arrive in the U.S. Based on the policy, practice, and protection wisdom, the LIRS developed a set of child protection principles to guide governmental and non-governmental work with unaccompanied children. A condensed version of the report by the American Immigration Council and a moving story from migration counselor, Elvis Garcia, can be found here.
We offer free lesson plans,
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and grants to #teachimmigration.
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