Our Commitment

First Book staff and members share a passion for changing the lives of children living in poverty, many of whom are African-American and live in predominantly African-American communities. The murder of George Floyd is the latest of the many acts of violence and indignity against Black Americans. Our nation now roils with unrest over the centuries of abuse, injustice, and inequity against people of color that has led to this critical moment. What affects communities of color, affects us all. Black lives matter.

As a community of more than 575,000 individual educators serving kids in need nationwide, we stand together with our Black members and will continue to call out racism as a reality that affects the lives and futures of children of color. Building an equitable and inclusive learning environment is more crucial now than ever, and we stand with you to build that environment brick by brick, book by book.

To support you as you support the children you serve, we will continue to make more books available that specifically reflect the authentic experiences of people of color. To help guide difficult conversations ahead, our Trauma Toolkit and Unconscious Bias: An Educator’s Self-Assessment are available to download for free and can be used immediately. We want to hear from you if there are other resources that you would find helpful as you work with kids that look to you for guidance and support.