One Tyne Valley mom wants to counter racism with stories.
Erica Wagner and her kids, Kaine Ellis, 3, and Aryia Ellis, 5, like to pick out books together at the Summerside Rotary Library where she sees lots of books that tell the stories of black, Indigenous and people of colour.
“There wasn’t a ton, but there was a good enough selection I felt, whereas I found the smaller libraries didn’t have as much,” said Wagner.
Wagner was moved when she saw the news of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minnesota police officers on May 25.
Floyd’s death got her thinking of ways to help prevent the same divisions closer to home.
“It was a feeling of helplessness, of not knowing what I could do personally that could affect change. I know that when it starts at a local level, that can really affect change just in our own communities as far as race relations."
“Reaching young kids in the form of stories is a really great way to expose them to different cultures and races."
She knows a lot of small rural communities don’t have much diversity even compared to Charlottetown or Summerside. So she combined her love of books and her urge for action and is planning to donate as many books about black, Indigenous and people of colour as she can to local libraries.
“I know that just having representation in the forms of seeing stories, especially when the story comes from a person of colour, helps people empathize,” she said.
“I do want to really focus on Indigenous people and making sure that there’s lots of stories that focus on their narrative.”
Even though readers can request books from other libraries, it’s important to Wagner for a diverse selection of books to be on the shelves for people to see.
“Reaching young kids in the form of stories is a really great way to expose them to different cultures and races,” she said.
Wagner runs Backwoods Burgers and often partners with her sister, Cortney Wagner (together, they co-own The Catch Kitchen and Bar), to donate to local causes. Just this week, Wagner is sporting a new mullet hairstyle after raising $1,000 for the Tyne Valley rink.
They already have $500 set aside for the books, but anyone who wants to help out can get in touch through the Backwoods Burgers Facebook page.
Alison Jenkins is a local journalism initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government. [email protected].
