Lafayette woman creates diverse library for youths

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - In fall 2014, Cindy Eberts read a book to a young African-American boy that made her cry.

The boy was captivated by the book, "The Legend of the Valentine: An Inspirational Story of Love and Reconciliation," which tells the story of a young black boy's approach to dealing with racism in 1960s Alabama, Eberts said.

"Quite honestly, I had never thought about racism and little children," she told the Journal & Courier (http://on.jconline.com/1S0GLlk ).

But Eberts said it was the only African-American-themed book available then to the children at Lafayette Urban Ministry, where she volunteered.

It was that experience that set Eberts on a nearly yearlong quest to find quality books that resonate with young minority children.

The Eberts Memorial Library was dedicated Jan. 11 and has about 300 books on the shelves, 100 in processing and room for expansion. It is named after Cindy Eberts' late husband, Ray Eberts, who died in 2003 in a car accident. Ray Eberts was the president of the LUM board of directors in 1994 when the Ray Ewry Youth Center was built.

The center houses multiple programs for local youths, including LUM's After School program that enables parents to finish their workday by providing child care for children in kindergarten to fifth grade and the 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program that aims to close the academic achievement gap for struggling elementary students.

The library will help students in those programs develop an appreciation for minority authors, said Joe Micon, LUM executive director.

"Given the many race-related problems in our nation and the harsh rhetoric expressed by too many political candidates, a place for children to learn about tolerance and diversity, on a regular basis, is a wonderful antidote," he said.

Eberts said she looked for books with strong female, African-American, Latino, classic and religious themes.

"I wanted good literature, and I wanted it to reflect the children who are there," she said.

LUM serves a diverse youth population, Micon said.

For instance, about 30 percent of the programs' 110 students are minority with 15 percent Hispanic, 10 percent African-American and 5 percent bi-racial, according to Micon.

This includes students who attended the summer program last year, he said.

Eberts also wanted to maintain cultural authenticity as much as possible and looked for children's literature written by minority authors.

"The primary source for an African-American story would be an African-American," she said.

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com