A local mother is making a contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement by supporting diversity in children’s literature.

“I surveyed my own child’s books and was appalled that they are mostly cute animals and white children,” said Charly Taylor, who has a 21-month-old daughter named Rosie with her husband Ian. “I have been doing so much reading and learning in the last few weeks ad embraced the realization that calling myself non-racist is not enough. I want to be anti-racist and raise an anti-racist child.”

Taylor set up an open gift card at Darvill’s Bookstore on June 4. The account is called the Diversity Book Fund, and a total of $850 has been raised so far. Donors can call Darvill’s at 360-376-2135 and give over the phone. Anyone can stop in, pick a book and charge it to the fund. There are no participation requirements.

“How can I support black lives in a very white community? One easy way is to support normalizing racial differences through kids’ books,” Taylor said. “My vision is that families that go in and choose books that have diverse representation.”

Darvill’s selection will feature literature written by BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) authors, those featuring families of color and books for parents on talking with their kids about race and racism.

“Books are a big part of our routine and owning them is a privilege,” Taylor said. “I’m thinking about all the other families who want to make a change and don’t have the budget for it. And this is not only supporting racial diversity but showing publishers that there is a demand for it too.”