After longing for crayons that represented all skin colors so children could more accurately draw themselves, local elementary student Madison Wilson discovered that in July, Crayola would be debuting “skin tone” shades —Deepest Almond, Medium Golden, and Light Rose — called Colors of the World.
Inspired by what was possible for children and with the help of her mother, Vashti Tameka Wilson, Madison launched a fundraising drive on June 19, to purchase and donate a supply of 24-pack multicultural Crayola sets to her Santa Ynez Valley school.
As of June 25, Madison has exceeded her initial $3,000 goal before her June 30 deadline, and reports having raised $4,175, with a handful of days still to go.
According to Wilson, her daughter did not want to stop at crayon donations. She also wanted to purchase and donate multicultural literature from local book stores.
Nearly a year after raising money for fire victims in Southern California, Violet Quinney, 12, a seventh-grader at Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy Middle School, is at it once again, putting her passion for slime to good use.
“My favorite books growing up had blue-eyed, blonde girls in them and I had a difficult time finding many books that represented people that look like me,” Wilson said about growing up with little representation of African Americans in her school books. “I want my daughter and other children of color to grow up with characters and role models that inspire them to reach their goals.”
An avid reader, Madison says her goal is to donate “500 books with all sorts of main characters.”
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