By: Giulianna Larson
The resettlement process confronts refugee youth with a number of challenges. Some may feel the stress of rapidly learning a new language. Others may search for familiarity in the sea of the unknown.
For both, books can provide both academic and emotional support.
“There was a student who wouldn’t speak or read when they started,” said Kathleen O’Connor, FORA Director of Education. “She was very uninterested and sat at the table like a stone. One day, I read a book with a cartoon figure of Malala, and she was wearing a headscarf. The student said ‘me, me’ when she saw the image of Malala. This was the first time she had really spoken and after that she wanted to read that book every day.”
In the past decades, librarians and teachers have emphasized the importance of offering books incorporating diverse races, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic status’ in classroom and community libraries.
The movement began in the mid-1980’s when sociocultural psychologists like Lev Vygotsky began discussing how children use expressive media like books to understand the world and their place in it.
What does this mean? Representation matters. When students have access to diverse books, they can identify with the characters or learn about a group they aren’t a part of.
As an education center with refugee youth from over 10 countries, providing students with the ability to connect with characters is a top priority:
“There are a variety of books for students to choose from because it’s important to develop the ability to see themselves in multiple narratives,” O’Connor said.
Equally as important as mirrors, windows allow students to gain insight and empathy towards their fellow classmates who speak different languages or practice different religions.
At FORA, books with diverse perspectives allow students to learn about the struggles of their peers.
“I try to find stories of immigrants from different cultures, Muslim kids growing up in the US, kids who practice other religions and even books about historical events like the Holocaust,” O’Connor said.
Culturally affirming books also show students they may not be exactly like a character, but they can still share similar experiences. Students learn about unique perspectives while also realizing their own identity is multidimensional.
Whether students identify with a character or are learning about another perspective, reading culturally affirming books provides students and tutors with the ability to discuss their opinions.
“Students and tutors can make connections and compare their experiences,” O’Connor said. “Together, they dive deeper into the text, which helps students become better readers.”
However, when identities are underrepresented in libraries, students of color can’t choose books they connect with individually and face potential risks.
“When you don’t see yourself in any book, you feel like books are made for other people, they aren’t interesting and are unreliable,” O’Connor said. “Also, you are motivated to do something when that activity is relevant to you. If it doesn’t seem relevant to you, you are less motivated.”
Representation equals choice. When students can choose a book they relate to, they are empowered to read.
Additionally, the lack of diverse books fuel stereotypes within American culture.
The Association for Library Services for Children published a report indicating books with messages misrepresenting a certain group spread misinformation and reinforce stereotypes. Further, if a child reads multiple texts where their own culture is misrepresented, “it is likely they will internalize these social messages and develop a poor sense of self.”
Diverse books are also part of FORA’s educational model to rapidly improve student growth.
In a study done by First Books, educators reported bimonthly gains “were 3 points higher (+9) than nationally expected average yearly gains,” after reading from a diverse library.
Further, educators reported students with the highest gains were the students who typically scored the lowest.
Among age groups, classrooms serving students ages four through six had larger gains (+13) than classes serving students in other age groups (+9).
Although there are no key metrics indicating the direct impact of culturally affirming books on FORA student progress, O’Connor was confident student reading choices contribute to the academic improvements of students.
“Culturally affirming books provide social-emotional support and empower the student to read more, which in-turn improves the student’s reading abilities,” she said.
A study conducted by Dr. Tanya Christ at Oakland University reported, “When students read books with more culturally relevant experiences, they were 16 percent more likely to make personal connections between the book and their own lives,” she said. “When they read books with culturally relevant places, they were 4 percent more likely to correctly answer critical thinking questions.”
Diverse books matter, but the U.S has a long way to go to ensure culturally affirming books are prioritized.
In 2019, about 12 percent of U.S.-published children’s books featured Black characters, neaToday said. Nine percent of books had Asian characters, about six percent had Hispanic characters; and less than one percent incorporated Native American or Alaska Native characters.
At FORA, O’Connor said she frequently updates FORA’s library to ensure students have many culturally affirming books to choose from.
“I’ve subscribed to multiple newsletters, so I can see what books are published,” she said. “I am also on forums with Muslim and South Asian children book authors who promote their works.”
FORA’s culturally affirming books don’t just cover fictional narratives. Rather, students have a plethora of options ranging from social-studies informational texts to graphic novels.
Through the variation of genres, students can travel through time, visualizing how their experiences relate to both the past and other cultures.
Diverse libraries aim to provide students with the ability to see themselves fight the same battles characters face. They give students a chance to excitedly cheer “me, me!” when they turn to the next page.
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