The day we opened our bookstore, I met Kat Echevarría Richter, a beautiful woman in a blue dress styled after the regency period. She quickly informed me that she was spearheading a book drive with Juntos. Juntos is a community-led, Latine, immigrant organization in South Philadelphia fighting for our human rights as workers, parents, youth, and immigrants, and she asked if we’d be apart of it. It was then that I realized she was so much more than an award winning writer in silk fabric. She’s someone who believes strongly that no human is illegal and that reading should be a right, not a privilege.

So often, we live our lives with narrow vision. We see what is right in front of us, what centers our own lives. We snooze our morning alarms then clock in and out of work with hopes to meet our monthly expenses. We feed the kids. Take the dog outside. Pray for good health and hope for the vacations once a year that promise rest from the routine. And at times, we forget to look around us.

Immigrants across the country held in detention facilities are struggling under inhumane conditions. In our own backyard, the detainees are starving. Sick. Missing their families. In need of encouragement. As readers, we know the hope that can be found in words. The mirrored peril that exists in dystopian worlds and the lessons it teaches us about our own. How to love. How to cherish those around us. And most importantly, how to speak out against injustice. And that’s what this book drive is about.

I know, I know; you might be wondering what books might do to really help.

In Kat’s own words:

“Now, are books and teapot tableaus going to bring back either of the fathers who lost their lives earlier this summer? No. They won't. They're not going to get kids out of detention centers either. If you want to see the elimination of state-sponsored violence, you need to be calling your senators. But in the meantime, if you're here, you know that books are important, that hope is important-- and it is especially important for the communities that have been torn apart: the women who are afraid to attend their prenatal appointments because they might be taken into custody, the children who need to go back-to-school shopping.

This is where community organizing comes in: Juntos is dedicated to fighting for the human rights of workers, parents, youth, and immigrants, and they’re holding a Back-to-School Supply Drive on July 31. Our goal—with your help— is to fulfill every “wish” on their list in time for distribution at the end of the month.”

We’ve all felt the pinch of helplessness before. The desire to be seen, heard, and loved through our stormy days. And we always remember the one who held out the umbrella. The loved one who provided a word of encouragement that helped us make it one more day.

Now it’s our turn.

We are so so grateful for the promotional support from Julia Quinn and are so happy to partner with Juntos and Kat on this book drive but we can’t do it alone. If you’d like to join this cause, please visit austensshelf.com and click on the book drive link. Juntos has put together a list of 50 titles, almost 500 books to distribute by July 31st.

If you’d like to donate back to school items, please drop them off at Austen’s Shelf. Juntos will distribute these items and the books we receive to the community.

For Literacy and Justice,

Charity

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