A group of Guilford Public School parents, in conjunction with The Guilford Foundation, school PTOs, and the Guilford Free Library (GFL), have just launched a new program that the entire town can participate in. The Anti-Bias Anti-Racism Alliance (ABAR) is working with the PTOs of each elementary school to help foster and promote a more inclusive reading curriculum with an emphasis on tolerance.

The group’s next effort is the One Book, One Community project, which focuses on one book around which to coalesce their mission. The partnership also includes a Story Walk display outside the library to instill this message by encouraging reading in the community.

ABAR seeks to partner with local affiliates. Their mission statement declares, “Our vision is to create a collaborative partnership of educators, parents, and caregivers who work to further inclusion, equity, and tolerance in our community. We support educational practices that model self-love, embrace and celebrate differences, identify unfairness and bias, and empower students to advocate for themselves and others.”

ABAR member Lisa Kelly said the effort is simply to build and enhance a mission of tolerance.

“We work together to help augment what the school is doing and what the PTO is doing to try and bring those values to all of our activities,” said Kelly. “The Story Walk is part of our larger One Book, One Community project, where we really wanted to have all four elementary schools read and celebrate one book to foster a sense of community and consistency across the schools. The Story Walk allows us to bring the story even further out into the community.”

Kelly said the title was chosen because it embraces many of the values the group is promoting.

“We are excited to make The Day You Begin [by Jacqueline Woodson] our first One Book, One Community project here in Guilford because it embodies the values of inclusion that are at the center of our ABAR work.” Kelly said. “The book helps readers realize that their differences are their strengths, and while those differences seem vast, we all have a lot more in common than we think. It is the perfect book for the back-to-school season as it depicts children coming together on the first day of school and learning how to create a welcoming environment for all.”

Children’s Services Librarian and GFL Assistant Director Angelina Carnevale said that the library is proud to be part of the effort.

“We have worked with ABAR previously on several projects, and they are great to work with,” Carnevale said. “This project helps us reinforce our commitment to openness with the community, and it encourages reading.”

According to Kelly, “With One Book, One Community, schools select a focus book that all students read, explore, and celebrate with their classmates and school community. This type of project reinforces literacy skills, helps connect home and school, and builds community. For the 2023-’24 school year, ABAR has received a generous grant from The Guilford Foundation to fund the purchase of a copy of the focus book for each certified elementary school staff member. The grant also provides funds to create and install a Story Walk as a way for families and community members to participate in this celebration of reading.”

The group emphasized the community effort that included several town institutions and nonprofits, as well as local businesses such as Breakwater Books, which assisted in the purchasing of the books.

According to ABAR member Jessica Herrington, with generous funding from The Guilford Foundation and with the support of Guilford Public Schools, ABAR is providing the four elementary schools with over 200 copies of the book The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael Lopez, to be distributed among teachers and staff. The goal is a celebration throughout the elementary school community and beyond at the beginning of the school year focused on the themes of one book.

“At each of the four elementary schools we have a point of contact parent representative who participates on their school PTO. This is a way to have a conduit between all of our ABAR Alliance and what’s happening in the schools,” Herrington said. “We also ensure that as we move through these types of projects, that we incorporate the ABAR principles of inclusion and tolerance. Having this as a project solidifies that we are a community and that we should all be moving together to achieve our goals.”

The display will be up for the next several weeks in front of the library. For more info on ABAR, visit www.guilfordctabar.com.