Thankfully, the world is changing. For students like my second grader who saw herself reflected in the heroine of the story, the right book can help build self-worth and an audacity of equality that will last a lifetime. For the students and families who are unfamiliar with AANHPI stories, learning about this community will build the familiarity that can chip away at the fear and eventually provide a foundation of trust and respect for all people. How can you hate or fear someone when you begin to realize you have more in common with them than you have differences? The Rising Voices collection for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) aims to make visible a community that has long lived in the shadows of America. With books about Malala Yousafzai and many other beautiful AANHPI stories, this library will proclaim to all AANHPI students and families that their stories are worth being shared and that their value in society is priceless. And this collection will provide everyone a window to a beautiful world that is diverse, magical, and inspirational. ABOUT DR. DON VU Dr. Don Vu has served as an elementary school teacher and principal for 24 years. He understands the challenges children and families face when learning a new language and culture, having fled Vietnam with his family in 1975. He also knows that reading and sharing our stories can be transformative and life-changing. As a mentor for Scholastic's Rising Voices library and the One World, Many Stories Collection: Immigrant and Refugee Experiences, he believes that literacy can change the world. His book Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Scholastic, 2021) is a call to action for all educators to build a school culture of reading to empower all students— especially our immigrant and refugee children—as they pursue their American Dream. Don currently serves as Director in the School of Education at Sacramento County Office of Education supporting school leaders in California.
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