Need to clear out some shelf space for all the new books you just got as gifts? Liberation Library provides books to incarcerated kids, and the organization is always looking for donations. If you have a good-condition paperback copy of any of the titles on the Liberation Library Amazon wishlist, you can ship them to the organization via media mail.
Unlike other charities that provide books to prisoners, the Chicago-based Liberation Library fulfills specific requests from incarcerated children within their service area: the Kewanee, Perre Marquette, and Harrisburg facilities in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice System.
At the time of this writing, Liberation Library has received requests for lots of books by Tracy Brown, L. Divine, and Ashley & JaQuarius. Kids have also asked for copies of Maya Angelou's Still I Rise, Alex Haley's Roots, and Roget's Thesaurus. The highest priority books on the Liberation Library wishlist are: Midnight: A Gangster Love Story and Midnight and the Meaning of Love by Sister Souljah, and Kendra by Coe Booth.
If you're in the Chicago area, Liberation Library is "always in need [of] volunteer[s] to sort and pack books." You can sign up to be a volunteer on the organization's website.
Defending prisoners' right to read makes prisons safer, no matter how old or young the incarcerees are. Read the Liberation Library's mission statement below, and get involved today:
Liberation Library provides books to youth in prison to encourage imagination, self-determination and connection to the outside worlds of their choosing. We believe access to books is a right, not a privilege. We believe books and relationships empower young people to change the criminal justice system.
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