Issues of race and inclusion are integrally tied to RIF Pittsburgh’s work to mitigate the literacy gap. Black children growing up in neighborhoods of need face inequalities in access to resources and opportunities that contribute both to the achievement gap and to poor life “outcomes” – from higher rates of teen pregnancy and incarceration to underemployment, limited access to health care, chronic medical conditions and, as 2020 showed, the severity of COVID-19 cases among Black Americans.

For thousands of Pittsburgh children and families, RIF’s mission to improve access to books, opportunities and motivational relationships to get kids reading, and keep them learning, makes a difference. But the larger equation must change: On a societal level, the lopsided allocation of resources is another offshoot of systemic racism with short-term and long-term ramifications.

Broader awareness of such systemic racism, brought so powerfully to the surface by the Black Lives Matter movement in spring 2020, spurred us to elevate our thinking around issues of equity.

This includes looking inward, committing to redoubling our efforts to increase diversity of staff, board and volunteers; offering resources to our team and mentors on issues of race and racial engagement with children; and examining the racial dynamics of our relationships with families, and with community and site partners.

It also extends to heightening our focus on purchasing contemporary titles by Black and multicultural writers and illustrators. Across all of our programming, we are helping to ensure excitement about books by purchasing proven and emerging favorites that celebrate and center Black experiences. From Derrick Barnes’ and Gordon C. James' beautifully told and illustrated books (“Crown”, “I Am Every Good Thing”) to Tracey Baptiste’s gripping Jumbies series, loosely based on Caribbean folklore, we are able to offer RIF kids so many choices of terrific page-turners with characters who look and talk, think and dream in ways that speak to and empower an ever- broader spectrum of children. Little ones enjoy dancing and joyfully exploring along with Miraculous in Frank and Connie Schofield Morrison's “I Got the Rhythm” and “I Got the School Spirit”; and Kwame Alexander's stunning middle-grade novel in verse, “The Crossover,” illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile, uses basketball as a stage for life lessons.

We are responding to this growing availability of diverse books – and insatiable demand for them from RIF kids, parents and sites. Such relevant, relatable stories clearly inspire children to read. Seeing themselves, their families and neighborhoods reflected in books strengthens their voices, validates their goals, and elevates their thinking about the great, wide world of possibilities open to them!