WE NEED YOUR HELP!

In 2018 at age 13, Ssanyu Lukoma founded Brown Kids Read -- a non-profit organization dedicated to motivating all children, but especially children of color, to read more diverse literature.

Between 2018 and 2023, Brown Kids Read was operating The Brown Reads Bookshelf — an online and pop-up bookstore where all of the books were written by and/or featuring people of color.

The Brown Reads Bookshelf impacted thousands of young readers when it was operating, however, since Ssanyu is now a college student, it has been officially closed. To continue making an impact, Ssanyu started the #1000BrownStories Campaign to inspire more community engagement when supporting young readers.

The #1000BrownStories campaign is simple:

Get a Book: Purchase a brown book or donate money to BKR to distribute books
Give a Book: Gift the book to a child in your life or bring it to your book drive location
Send Us the Proof: Send us a picture or video to share and encourage others

All children deserve to have access to diverse literature. They both encourage representation and immerse young readers in different cultures. Therefore, if we all get a book and give a book, the world will be changed, one page at a time. Follow us on Instagram @brownkidsread!

Check out this message from our founder!

#1000BrownStories Campaign

Get a Book, Give a Book!

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