Pandemic Activities 2020 -2022

The pandemic negatively impacted all children, particularly the disproportionate
number of children of color in poor, and under-resourced schools. The problems
these children faced with school closures and not being able to work with teachers and school staff was exacerbated by their lack of financial resources, lack of computers, and lack of access to the Internet. Akira’s Book Club, although faced with all of the pandemic issues, still was actively working with children and families to support children’s access to books and supplies. Over the course of these ‘Covid years’, we have collaborated with the Oakland Unified School District, the Mexican Heritage Plaza, the Hieroglyphics Foundation, Liveanthropy, The Village Project,Inc., the Kim Caldwell Show, the Kingmakers of Oakland, E14 Gallery, and volunteers to get books and supplies to children through a series of safe, outdoor ‘give-away’ activities in Oakland, Seaside and San Jose, sending books to schools in Ghana, and creating additional videos of our Akira Series and Watercolor Series books to be viewed free of cost on this website (see video section). The following short videos capture some of these activities.