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| DOTY Principal Gillian Fuqua speaks to the assembled students in Worcester about the importance of Reading to End Racism. Also seen in the same photo are volunteers Janet Connor and Beth Wade, and our large book display on the bleachers. When one student came in early for his breakfast, he said "why are there books with pictures like me?" |
Reading to End Racism celebrates working with seven schools this year, all of the smaller schools in Central Vermont: East Montpelier, Calais, Twinfield, Rumney, Doty, Berlin, and Cabot. This means we reached 730 students, their teachers, and even perhaps a ripple effect to some of their families in 2026! We thank the 17 volunteer readers who participated, six of them new volunteers. A small action can have many ripples.
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| Janet Connor reads at a classroom in Calais |
We were excited about our February training at the Bethany Church in Montpelier which introduced new volunteers to potential books, activities, and our excellent training materials and our blog with more resources. Working with the classroom teachers and their own creativity, the volunteers shape lessons and activities suited to each individual classroom. We even had new volunteers stepping up to coordinate school events. Schools were uniformly welcoming, with creative ideas for assemblies, and invitations to come back next year. It is a partnership that matters.
At Twinfield, paperplate faces go with the book What if We Were
All the Same read by Anne Rich about how boring it would be if were all
identical.
With increased visibility, we hope now to gain enough volunteers to work in the larger school systems in Montpelier and Barre. A number of organizations have offered to help us advertise our fall training. Already we may have a head start on new volunteers.
Long-time volunteer reader Joseph Gainza browses the books on display at Rumney.
For the first time, the Montpelier High School co-sponsored a Reading to End Racism workshop for students during their Race to End Racism Day. Of the 12 students who participated, 7 are interested in working with children next year, and perhaps could team up with our regular volunteers to work in the Montpelier School on a designated day. One of our volunteers is a former Montpelier Elementary teacher and delighted in seeing some former students at this event. This same volunteer, Susan Koch, is eager to organize an RER event in the Montpelier Elementary School next year. One of the high school students wrote, “I wish all kids can learn these things at a young age.” Perhaps this student will help make it happen in their own school system now.
Beth Wade reads Amos and Boris to a kindergarten class at DOTY in Worcester.
The need to address racism has not disappeared. In fact, we need to grow our book collection with more options on immigrants, migrant workers, and our many citizens from multiple cultures and traditions beyond its current focus on black Americans. Several professional librarians, book sellers, and a worker with children’s books have offered to help. Any way we can make Vermonters more open to each others’ experience and history will be important for all of us now and in the future. The children of today can be leaders in creating a society that welcomes and respects everyone.
