Nonprofit aims to fill elementaries with diverse books – The Columbus Dispatch

Julia Hanna founded Harpers Corner as a way to promote diversity and inclusion by donating related childrens literature to central Ohio elementary schools.

Julia Hannas soon-to-be 5-year-old daughter, Harper, wont be heading off to kindergarten for another year, but when she arrives at school she wont see many people who look like her.

Harper, who is half-Black, is part of the Upper Arlington School District that draws students from a suburb that is 91 percent white, according to U.S Census data. This reality has always weighed heavily on Hanna, who is white, but it became even more prominent within the past few months.

As Black Lives Matter protests grew in the wake of George Floyds May 25 death while in the custody of Minneapolis police, Hanna was moved to take action.

"I feel that particularly in these less-diverse communities, we need to start having a different conversation," Hanna, 41, said. "When youre not around diversity, you just keep going about life like theres no problem."

On May 31, she posted on Facebook about her desire to collect childrens books that address diversity and inclusion, and donate them to local school districts.

She could never have predicted how much the mission would resonate with others: Within a week, she had received dozens of books and monetary contributions totaling nearly $9,000.

"It resonated with people, and it told me this was a much bigger mission," Hanna said. "It had me think of how I could become a better ally for Harper and other children."

Hanna went on to establish Harpers Corner Foundation (@harperscornerbooks on Instagram), whose nonprofit status was officially approved by the IRS in late July, she said.

Hanna, who works in merchandising at a national retail company, recruited friends and colleagues to leadership positions on the organizations board. Many of them had their own personal reasons for joining the cause.

Worthington resident Kat DePizzo, who serves as vice president of Harpers Corner, said the oldest of her two daughters ages 6 and 15 came out as a member of the LGBTQ community when she was in sixth grade.

"Its so important to me for so many reasons that were all treated equally," DePizzo said. "It doesnt solve everything, but what a great way to jump in and make change."

Knowing that childrens attitudes and behaviors are molded when theyre very young, board member Erin Kendrick Chaney, who is Black, was motivated by a desire to create a more accepting and loving world for her 3-year-old son.

"Kids mimic what they see, what they hear," said Kendrick Chaney, an Olde Towne East resident. "To be able to start with young school-aged kids in having these conversations about diversity and inclusion and being accepting of others who are different than you is really important."

The Harpers Corner team partnered with Cover to Cover Childrens Books in Upper Arlington to curate a reading list of 150 books that are diverse in both content and authorship. The store agreed to offer a discount to the nonprofit as well, said General Manager Bryan Loar.

The list available to local school administrators via a private link includes mostly recent publications addressing womens empowerment ("You Are Awesome" by Susann Hoffmann), the LGBTQ community ("They She He Me: Free to Be!" by Maya Christina Gonzalez and Matthew Sg) and Black representation ("Black is a Rainbow Color" by Angela Joy and Ekua Holmes).

"If its well-written and you identify with those characters, if you can both see yourself but also see others and create the empathy, it really is transformative," Loar said. "We think that creating more empathy, more kindness, more understanding across all cultures is paramount in this day and age."

This fall, Harpers Corner will have a presence in 11 elementary schools in central Ohio five in Upper Arlington, three in Bexley and three in Worthington. The organization has now raised about $15,000 and is donating more than 800 books between those schools.

School media specialists at the chosen elementary schools used Cover to Covers guide to create a custom wish list for Harpers Corner to supplement the schools existing collections. The books, which will be stamped with the nonprofits seal, will be displayed in a special section of school libraries, with elementary school teachers using the selection to bolster their curriculum.

"We always talk about books being windows into other peoples lives that might be different from yours," said Carla Wilson, principal at Barrington Elementary School in Upper Arlington. "Just having books that represent people who might be different than a child is super important to building empathy."

As Harpers Corner continues to grow, the goal is for all 15 school districts in central Ohio and their 171 elementary schools to be a part of it. Hanna is encouraging the wealthier districts to undertake a pay-it-forward mentality in donating funds or books to districts with lower budgets.

"How the confidence builds when kids see themselves is tremendous, so thats really at the heart of what were doing," Hanna said. "We want it to feel like a place thats inviting to kids and a place where kids can find books theyre curious about."

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta