A Day for Words
On April 9, 2022, I had the amazing privilege of participating in a book reading event at the Santee Barnes and Noble.
Santee Barnes and Noble have been a huge amazing supporter of my Ms. Wheelchair California 2022 campaign. That weekend they held a Bookfair Fundraising event to help me raise funds for my upcoming Nationals trip.
They did an amazing job organizing the whole event. I went inside the store and was already vastly impressed with the setup. Barnes and Noble had a whole table for books that include people in wheelchairs. Books that included Oh So Kind by Joy Cho, an adorable kids' book that has a llama in a wheelchair, Marshmallow and Jordan by Alina Chau, a middle-grade graphic novel about a disabled sports-loving Jordan, and the magical elephant named Marshmallow.
That afternoon I got to do a special storytime reading of All the Way to the Top, by Annette Bay Pimentel. This book was the winner of “One Book San Diego” Children’s Pick. The topic involves the Disability Rights movement. The book is an autobiographical picture book about Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a disability rights activist, and her participation in the Capitol Crawl when she was only a child.
For those who don’t know what the Capital Crawl is. It is a momentous event in disability rights history. On March 12, 1990, protestors with all types of physical disabilities abandoned their wheelchairs and crutches to crawl up the entire 78 steps at the Capitol’s West Front. Including 8-year-old Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins. “That day is now known as the Capitol Crawl, and it's recognized as the catalyst to the passage of the Americans with Disability Act, which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990” (ABC News).
This was such an amazing historic event and I’m glad Barnes and Noble and One Book San Diego chose this one for me to read to the children. I had an amazing time reading to them and I am thankful to Santee Barnes and Noble for this opportunity to bring more disability inclusivity into a book and allowing me to read on the topic of disability advocacy. We need more opportunities like this in our community.
Additionally, as part of the bookfair fundraising event, I was able to receive a percentage of Barnes and Noble’s proceeds for my campaign. Thank you Santee Barnes and Noble for being an amazing supporter of Ms. Wheelchair California!