BUFFALO, NY — A Minnesota author is joining the effort to bring books with more representation to Buffalo to fight racism.
“Each of us must play a role in helping the community heal. There is something each of us can do. There is a small contribution each of us can make,” said Sheletta Brundidge, a mother, author, business owner and autism advocate from Cottage Grove, MN.
Brundidge has four children aged 7 to 15. Three of them were diagnosed with autism. When her daughter, Cameron, came home from kindergarten saying she wished she had white skin to look like the characters in her books, Brundidge decided to start writing her own books.
The depiction in her books is part of why she wanted to donate over 1,000 to Buffalo, to comfort children affected by the racially motivated massacre in Tops on May 14 and stop racism before children had a chance to learn this.
“And if we can put a book in the hands of these kids to say, ‘Hey, we care about you, I love you from Minnesota,’ it will let them know that they matter to more than family and community. , but to people around the world,” Brundidge said.
She said other Minnesota-based children’s book authors have also teamed up to fight racism in Buffalo. It’s part of another effort by Zeneta Everhart to collect books with representation via an Amazon wishlist after her son Zaire survived the shooting that day.