Six Mile Regional Library District received a Healing Illinois grant from the Edwardsville Community Foundation. The grant was available to schools and libraries to assist in the efforts to teach children and adults about racial differences through books.

The Edwardsville Community Foundation is a group of local business and community leaders founded to impact the quality of life in the local communities, including: Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Hamel, Moro, Dorsey and Worden and surrounding areas.

Six Mile Regional Library District used these grant funds to create multigenerational book kits. Each kit is designed to help facilitate conversations no matter the age.

There are eleven kits divided into two categories, Tough Topics and Experience Stories. The Tough Topics kits are primarily composed of non-fiction books about various issues including anti racism, immigration and activism. The Experience Stories kits are composed of fiction books that highlight lives of characters of minority backgrounds including, African Americans, Muslims and Asian Americans. All kits include one adult book, one teen book, one juvenile book and one picture book, plus a folder containing discussion questions.

The book kits are great for families to share together, inspire reading, and family discussions. They also work well for small book clubs or anyone interested in a particular topic or experience. You can find the kits in the parent collection of the youth department at our Delmar Avenue location or request one through our online catalog.

Multigenerational Book Kits

Tough Topics

• Activism
• Anti Racism
• Housing Insecurity
• Immigration
• Incarceration
• White Privilege

Experience Stories

• African American
• Asian American
• First Nation
• Latin American
• Muslim American