The Reading Inclusivity Project is an initiative created to expose high school students to books written by people of color. From our high school experience we knew that our alma mater was the perfect school to kick off this initiative. While we attended Newman Smith High School (NSHS) the books we were assigned to read were not predominantly written by authors of color. Throughout college and graduate school we were introduced to various authors of color who challenged us to confront how we interacted with literature. This exposure has been a driving factor in understanding how important it is read authors that represent the true diversity of the world around us.

We want to enhance curricula by including literature written by diverse authors. Stories written by authors of color reveal the nature of our ever-changing country and prepare students for life beyond high school and well into college and their careers.

We want to encourage cultural dialogue through literature. Cultivating cultural perspective amongst high school students, provides greater opportunities for candid conversations and mutual understanding.  Having students interact with different cultures through literature helps them improve their critical thinking skills by broadening cultural awareness and developing empathy for different groups.

We want to expand the school library to carry a wide variety of books written by people of color. Providing books in the classroom curricula is one step; however, we also want students to have access to diverse books in the library that aren’t covered in curricula.

Aside from increasing exposure to diverse authors, this campaign is to show the current students at Newman Smith that alumni, teachers, and the larger community alike are invested in their future and their success.  Investing today in our fellow Trojans will equal great dividends for our society and will add to the list of reasons why Trojans are always equipped for what lies ahead. Please join us in ensuring that graduates of Newman Smith are truly exposed to some the greatest pieces of literature from authors of color.