Check Out Keiko Feldman & Morgan Walsh’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keiko Feldman & Morgan Walsh. 

Hi Keiko & Morgan, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
The story of Open Books story begins with a friendship between us, as two moms who both have kids who identify as LGBTQ+. We share a heart for making sure our children and, indeed, all children feel seen, valued, and included in their school communities. Kids who feel a sense of belonging at school learn better and thrive. Representation matters! 

Four years ago, we recognized a need for more affirming literature in school libraries. We began purchasing books directly from publishers and donating books to public school districts in our area. That’s how Open Books was born. Today, we have donated sets of LGBTQ+ affirming storybooks to more than 1100 libraries, making loving and validating stories available to nearly a million children on their own school campuses. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some days, we are amazed at the seemingly magic synchronicity that opens doors for us to find financial support and do this work. Other days it can feel like an insurmountable hurdle to raise money and move forward in a climate where diverse, inclusive literature is under attack on a national level. When we started, our biggest challenge was connecting with school districts and convincing them that these wonderful books would be free, with no strings attached. After four years, our challenge has shifted from connecting with school districts to raising funds to purchase more book sets. The need and demand is great! 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Open Books does one thing: We bring age-appropriate, LGBTQ+-affirming storybooks to public school libraries. We want all students to see their own feelings, families, and experiences reflected back to them in stories. We carefully vet the books. Not only are they LGBTQ-affirming, but they are beautifully written and illustrated. Many of the books on our list have won awards for excellence in children’s literature. We ask that the books be put on library shelves cataloged exactly as other books for the reading level. That is, there’s no special “LGBTQ+” shelf. 

We are proud that we have delivered books to some of the biggest school districts in California (including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.) We’ve also given books to schools in places where there might not be as much LGBTQ support in the community such as Fresno Unified School District and Salt Lake City. 

Our work is what sets us apart from anyone else. There’s not another non-profit in the US donating LGBTQ-affirming books to school libraries district-wide. 

Any big plans?
We have been expanding our work throughout the country and are excited for some upcoming announcements of districts that are welcoming Open Books donations. In addition, we look forward to expanding our current donation sets, from all elementary school storybooks to middle and high school collections as well. 

We always say we would love to shut down Open Books someday because all public schools have become willing and able to buy and provide these books for their students without our help…but until that happens, we will continue to do this work with real joy and a sense of purpose. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.openbooks.org
• Instagram: openbooks501c3
• Facebook: @openbooks501c3
• Twitter: @openbooks501c3
• Youtube: Open Books 501c3