NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University students and alumni have launched a campaign to further diversity education in schools by purchasing children’s books written by and for black, indigenous and people of color. The Children’s Diversity Education Fund seeks to partner with public schools and libraries to donate and read books to children that teach lessons on race, diversity, identity and unity.
Theater students Myjoycia Cezar and Sarah Lord Holoubek and alumni Bethany Lee and Madalyn Mullins, along with friends from Shreveport, raised $1,000 in three days to purchase books. Cezar, CDEF founder, has been invited to speak about the initiative to the Natchitoches Parish School Board’s Cultural Diversity committee.
“Within the aftermath of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many other people of color’s deaths and the further prevalence of racism in the U.S., I’ve been inspired to work to make a difference in communities through educating children to love diversity,” said Cezar, a junior who is involved in several student organizations.
Donors who wish to contribute to the fund can visit https://fundly.com/children-s-diversity-education-fund and like the group’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/DiversityEdNow/, to stay updated on their accomplishments.
“Our goal is to encourage children to celebrate diversity and host/facilitate conversations about race, culture and identity with children so it becomes a subject everyone is comfortable talking about because everything goes back to education,” Cezar said. “Our campaign is working to have posts in Shreveport, Natchitoches, and Baton Rouge to start off, and we are contacting Louisiana’s educational leadership as well to really get new supporters.”
For more information, contact Cezar at mcezar167663@nsula.edu.
