Changing the world, book by book: Inside one woman’s mission to spread messages of inclusion

Deeply impacted by what has been going on in the world, one Florida woman has made it her mission to spread messages of love, diversity and inclusion through books.

Ashleigh Taylor said the unrest that followed the death of George Floyd, and recent anti-Semitic comments made by celebrities on social media, fueled her to take action. As she began her mission, she decided that, instead of posting her thoughts on social media, she would call on her friends, family and followers to help her. Taylor’s initial goal was to donate one book a month to a teacher.

“I figured, I loved hearing the diverse stories when I was in elementary school, and I figured, ‘Hey, these stories I remember to this day. Why not shape a child’s memory, their education, their values on how they view other people by providing a book to their teacher?’” Taylor said.

A little more than a month into her project, she had distributed 100 books to classrooms — covering topics from race, religion and gender — across the country, thanks to donations she’s received from all over.

“I’ve sent books to North Dakota, Massachusetts, Virginia -- everywhere,” Taylor said.

She ensures the books match the reading level. The teachers are grateful, Taylor said, adding that she knows the books can make a positive impact in these kids’ lives.

"What matters is when you grow up, are you going to be a good person who treats people well? And I think that's something that teachers have so much influence over, especially through reading," she said.

Two lessons she’s hoping the children will learn are: “One, that they have a positive representation of themselves so they can see themselves in a book and say, ‘That’s me,’ and they can look up to something. The second thing is, I just really want them to see that there are people out there that don’t ‘like’ like them, don’t think like them, don’t pray like them -- and have those people shown in a positive light.”

[Learn more about Taylor’s book project firsthand on her Instagram stories]

The list below is all the books Taylor has sent to classrooms around the country. If you’d like to help by donating books, or if you are or know a teacher who would love to receive a book, contact Taylor here.

1. The Name Jar
2. Heather Has Two Mommies
3. Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China
4. Whoever You Are
5. The Flower Girl Wore Celery
6. The Very First Americans
7. The ABCs of AOC: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from A to Z
8. Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights
9. Nappy Hair” (Dragonfly Books)
10. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
11. Melody: No Ordinary Sound (American Girl Historical Characters)
12. Amina’s Voice
13. Under My Hijab
14. Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen
15. Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids
16. Front Desk
17. Jada Jones, Class Act
18. Kimchi & Calamari
19. Lin-Manuel Miranda (You Should Meet)
20. Latke, the Lucky Dog
21. My Family Adventure (Sofia Martinez)
22. Mango, Abuela, and Me
23. Other Words for Home
24. Abuela
25. The Rainbow Hijab
26. The Butterfly (Patrica Polacco)
27. Dumpling Soup
28. How My Parents Learned To Eat
29. A Picture Book of Anne Frank (Picture Book Biography)
30. I Love My Hair!
31. Sofia Valdez, Future Prez (The Questioneers)
32. The Story of Civil Rights (DK Readers Level 3)
33. The Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
34. Luciana (American Girl: Girl of the Year 2018, Book 1)
35. The Princess & The Pea (A Story from Africa)
36. The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher (Family Fletcher Series)
37. The Story of Ruby Bridges
38. All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism
39. Inside Out and Back Again
40. Barack Obama: Out of Many, One (Step into Reading)
41. Blended
42. Hurricane Child
43. The Story of Frida Kahlo
44. A Raisin In The Sun
45. Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Candlewick Biographies: Ella Fitzgerald
46. Night (Elie Wiesel)
47. We’re Different, We’re the Same (Sesame Street)
48. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
49. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
50. Mrs. Katz and Tush
51. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman
52. Frida Kahlo (Genius Series)
53. Michelle Obama: First Lady, Going Higher (Step into Reading)
54. Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa
55. We Throw Color on Each Other! (Cultured Kids)
56. Skin Like Mine (Kids Like Mine)
57. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
58. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
59. Chicken Sunday
60. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
61. Chocolate Milk, Por Favor: Celebrating Diversity with Empathy
62. Tia Isa Wants a Car
63. Daniel’s New Friend (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood)
64. Koala Challah
65. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
66. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
67. Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
68. The Sign of the Beaver
69. Keith Haring: I Wish I Didn’t Have to Sleep
70. Too Many Tamales
71. I’m New Here
72. Number the Stars
73. The Persian Cinderella
74. A Scarf for Keiko
75. Dress Like A Girl
76. Lola Levine Is Not Mean!
77. The Story of Barack Obama
78. Last Stop On Market Street
79. Save Me a Seat
80. Momma, Did You Hear the News? (Talking to kids about race and police)
81. Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup
82. Lucky Broken Girl
83. It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
84. Playing and Learning Together: Meeting Mimi
85. Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
86. Cora Cooks Pancit
87. Kaya: The Journey Begins (American Girl Historical Characters)
88. Esperanza Rising
89. My Grandma and Me
90. And Tango Makes Three
91. The Dog Who Loved Tortillas
92. Let’s Celebrate an Indian Wedding
93. Bee-Bim Bop!
94. Moti The Mitzvah Mouse
95. Pink is for Boys
96. Rebecca: The Sound of Applause
97. A is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
98. Dream Big Little One
99. The Good Cadilac
100. The Upstairs Room

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