Sarah Kamya, a counselor at PS 191 on West 61st Street, has started an ambitious project that’s already paying off.

Kamya, who grew up in Massachusetts and has been back there during the Covid crisis, is buying books and distributing them to the Little Libraries that people set up around towns where people can leave and take books. The project is called Little Free Diverse Libraries.

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“Growing up in a predominantly White town, Kamya longed for books that represented students of color and of different backgrounds,” according to Boston.com, which covered her project last weekend. “She always felt as though she wasn’t depicted as much as her peers.”

Within days, Kamya’s efforts had raised thousands of dollars, and generated hundreds of book donations. She spread the word on Instagram.

“As of Saturday, Kamya has already raised over $9,000 in just 11 days. She’s purchased over 300 books from Black-owned bookstores, written by Black authors, and received about 250 through Amazon Wish List, to disperse to Little Free Libraries around Arlington and beyond,” Boston.com reported.

Here’s the mission statement on the project’s Amazon page:

“We believe that black lives matter. Black stories matter. Black history matters. Black childhood matters. Black joy matters. Black voices matter. We believe that children of color deserve to see themselves represented in ordinary stories in which a character’s race is not their defining characteristic. We believe in revising the canon of children’s literature to feature authors of color and texts that portray a diverse range of experiences. The books purchased here will fill Little Free Libraries in Arlington, MA, and other communities to amplify and empower black voices”

Kamya is also raising money to also distribute more books in the New York City area. People can donate money or buy books at the Amazon wishlist linked here.

Kamya even appeared on Live With Kelly & Ryan.