Crossroads Hosts its Fourth Children’s Defense Fund Schools® Site

The summer may be over, but Advancement & Prospect Operations Associate Carlos Ortiz is still riding high from his job as project director at the Children’s Defense Fund Schools® site at Crossroads. He is particularly proud of the trip he organized to take the students to Malik Books, which specializes in diverse titles by authors of color, after he attended this year’s Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institute in Clifton, TN. 

“In our national training, they talked about the importance of going to a bookstore and being able to see books—especially those where they can see themselves within the covers—and the importance of being able to choose your own book,” explained Carlos. 

On July 31, Malik Books opened its doors to the 35 scholars taking part in the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® site at Crossroads. The Black-owned bookstore, located inside the Westfield Culver City mall, brimmed with young students chattering excitedly and poring over the shelves of books. 

Crossroads has hosted a CDF Freedom Schools® site for the past four summers, welcoming students from Santa Monica’s Virginia Park community to campus for six weeks of reading support, engaging social studies lessons and self-esteem-building activities. Students also attend field trips including excursions to the LA Zoo, UCLA campus, the African American Museum and other cultural landmarks. The program is free for participating families.

When Carlos approached bookstore co-owner Malik Mohammad about partnering for a guest read-aloud as the final field trip of the summer, Malik was all in. 

“I feel blessed that it came full circle and that it culminated in these students coming to Malik Books and sharing their energy, excitement and enthusiasm,’” said Malik. “That’s what it’s all about, ’cause children are 100% of our future.” 

The field trip was the perfect ending to this year’s program, the theme of which was banned books. During their National Day of Social Action, Freedom School scholars across Southern California gathered at the Beehive venue in South LA to learn why books are banned and the importance of having the freedom to read. Students took action by creating posters to create awareness of book bans and filmed a music video on the topic.

At Malik Books, Culver City Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin—the first woman of color to serve as mayor in the city’s 106-year history—read aloud “I Am More Than,” a book by LeBron James that encourages young people to pursue their dreams. Afterward, Mayor McMorrin answered students’ questions about why she decided to get involved in local government, the impact of community and her favorite books. 

Following the read aloud, students had the opportunity to explore the store and find a book that spoke to them to take home. The impact of the day’s activities was clear, with students expressing joy at seeing themselves reflected in the pages of the books.

“When I go into a bookstore, I never really see books about people that look like me,” said rising seventh grader Yonathan. “When I walked into Malik Bookstore, wherever I looked, I saw people like me. I just felt very welcomed and like I didn’t have to ask, ‘Do you know if there’s any books that have to do with Black history?’ I literally don’t even have to ask that because it’s all over!”