A Grand Valley Social Work professor opens the door for our youngest students to address issues of social justice. A book club entitled, “Social Justice Begins With Me” guides those aged 4 to 11 through various issues.
As my child has grown up in an inter-racial, inter-cultural marriage, he began asking questions or making comments and we started thinking about how to address those.”
Paola Leon is an Associate professor in the school of social work at Grand Valley State University. She says her child’s questions while reading a book prompted her to come up with a way to deal with race and ethnicity. Professor Leon is from Peru, her husband is Canadian.
“When he was very young, he was probably about 3 or so. He began noticing skin color. And asking questions ab out his own skin color and why was he always, the way he perceived himself, by skin and hair color, that child, in most of the books, the child he identified with was a child that looked like him, with a mother that looked like him and not like me.”
So, Professor Leon formed a monthly book club called Social Justice Begins with Me for our youngest students. Ages 4 to 11. There’s a different theme each month, themes like poverty, hunger, racial justice and the like.
“My hope was that we can introduce these topics to children a lot earlier on. And provide a safe space. Where children can just speak their mind and as they’re reading, and as they’re prompted by some questions, they can just say what they’re thinking or what their thoughts are on that topic, without any repercussion for it. And at the same time give parents some tools.”
Leon’s purpose is two-fold. Not only does she address issues of the youth, but she involves her undergraduate students from her social work courses. Using the social justice framework, they analyze the books and help develop materials for the library program.
The book club meets in the fall at the Grand Rapids Public Library and is a partnership of the Library and the GVSU School of Social Work.
