WATCH “Let’s Counter Islamophobia through Stories” — an EmbraceRace Community Conversation

Watch this recorded, hour-long conversation between EmbraceRace and the founders of Kitaab World, Gauri Manglik and Sadaf Siddique, recorded on July 22nd, 2017. Anyone advising, raising, mentoring kids to be resilient, inclusive, informed and active social justice advocates will appreciate the resources they’re developed — we do!
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​Gauri and Sadaf started KitaabWorld to provide a platform for parents, teachers and librarians to get access to multicultural children’s books in the US, and to make diverse books more mainstream. They have focused mainly but not exclusively on books featuring characters of South Asian descent and/or South Asian cultures and religious traditions.

Their “Counter Islamophobia Through Stories” campaign provides a framework and resources for teachers, educators and parents to tackle issues of positive representation and a bridge between cultures in the classroom and our communities. The campaign seeks to change the stories about Muslims and fight hate with knowledge.

In this video conversation with EmbraceRace, Gauri and Sadaf explain their book criteria for inclusion, introduce their themed, curated lists of children’s books, and speak more in depth about a couple favorite books from each list. They also answer community questions. Find the booklists they mentioned as well as other booklists, author interviews, lesson plans, reader stories and resources at their site, KitaabWorld.com. They’ve also sent the slides from their presentation for those who want another look.

Don’t forget to request these books and forward the resources to your librarians, too! They will thank you. In fact, KitaabWorld is currently offering a 20% discount on their Countering Islamophobia through Stories collection to the EmbraceRace community if you use promo code ER20. Clearly, their main goal is to get these books into the hands of children — so pass it on!

This conversation was part of a free, online EmbraceRace monthly series on race and kids which happens every 4th Tuesday of the month. Sign up for our twice monthly newsletter to be kept apprized of upcoming guests and to get our most current list of curated resources about kids and race.

More about the founders of KitaabWorld.com follows.

Gauri Manglik practiced law in both India and the United States for more than a decade, advising on corporate and commercial law. In 2015, she chose to follow her passion and left her legal career to start Kitaabworld. She is passionate about making South Asian culture fun and accessible for children, as well as sharing her love for diverse children’s books.

Sadaf Siddique has worked on documentaries and online media projects in India and the United States — with a focus on innovative ideas for social change. Sadaf’s prior experience includes developing content around social impact investing at Omidyar Network and leading editorial strategy and project management at Link TV’s Dear American Voter project.

EmbraceRace is a multiracial community of people supporting each other to help nurture kids who are thoughtful, informed, and brave about race. Join us! Like us on Facebook and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter.