Families filled the gym at Emerson Elementary School in North Oakland on Saturday to celebrate the 7th annual Social Justice Holiday Book Fair. The fair offers a safe space for attendees to discover new titles written by local and independent publishers and authors.

The event featured an array of book genres for young people of all ages, including coloring books and graphic novels, with a focus on children’s stories related to social justice. Many of the books that were featured tell stories about different cultures and diasporas, covering topics from gender identity to language diversity to feminism, among other themes.

A parent attendee walks into the library at Emerson Elementary during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Authors and creators offered readings of their books during the event. Credit: Amaya Edwards
People browse through different books at the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair. This year’s event was co-hosted by Emerson Elementary School’s PTA. Credit: Amaya Edwards

One of these books was created by 7-year-old artist, Amari Rashad. His coloring book, Before They Were Giants, includes AI-generated images of iconic Black public figures as children, ranging from James Baldwin to Bob Marley. 

From left, Amari Rashad, 7, and his father, Saleem “Dr. AMN” Gilmore, pose for a portrait at Emerson Elementary School during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in North Oakland. Rashad co-authored his book “Before They Were Giants” with his father. Credit: Amaya Edwards
A parent attendee looks through “Before They Were Giants” by Amari Rashad and Dr. AMN at Emerson Elementary during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Amari Rashad, center, 7, signs the book he made for another child at Emerson Elementary School. Credit: Amaya Edwards

Laura Atkins, Alejandra Domenzain, Peter Limata, and Rob Liu-Trujillo co-organized this year’s event in collaboration with Emerson PTA members Edward Frank and Shawna Reeves to raise funds for the school. The PTA held a bake sale and had tables set up where arts and crafts were being sold, such as t-shirts and totes with the Emerson mascot screen printed on them. 

From left, Bee Lewis, 6, and Evelynne Douglas, 7, color at a crafts table during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Paper hand cutouts with messages written on them at Emerson Elementary School during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair. Credit: Amaya Edwards

Limata, a former Emerson teacher and producer of the online program, “Story Time with Mr. Limata,” emceed the event and hosted a live stream on his channel throughout the afternoon.

From left, Peter Limata interviews Katy Butler, owner of Out and About Bookshop, during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair at Emerson Elementary School in Oakland. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Emerson Elementary School co-hosted the 2023 Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland. This is the seventh year the event has happened. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Nadia Salomon reads from her book, “Goodnight Ganesha,” to a group of parents and children in the library at Emerson Elementary School. Salomon was among several authors offering readings of their latest books during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair. Credit: Amaya Edwards

“Events like this help normalize things,” Limata said of seeing Oakland’s diverse cultures and experiences reflected in literature. “We have varied people in our community. How do we get them to be represented?”

Limata said that when messaging the book fair to families, some asked, “Oh, is it like, the Scholastic Book Fair?” To which Limata replied no—this was something better. “I feel like this organization, this event, is needed because it actually is in touch with people,” he said. “And we’re not afraid to speak our truth,” Limata said.

An attendee browses the selection at the Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Community members sample the books at the 7th annual Social Justice Book Fair. Credit: Amaya Edwards
A shelf of the books offered by Out and About Bookshop during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair at Emerson Elementary School in Oakland. Out and About is a mobile children’s bookstore that offers diverse stories centering on the LGBTQ+ community. Credit: Amaya Edwards
Attendees pick through book titles at the 7th annual Social Justice Holiday Book Fair. Credit: Amaya Edwards

Timothy Goodspeed, a second-grade teacher, expresses himself through songwriting. He is a social justice musician and performs under the name The Soapbox Salute. Goodspeed performed “Lullaby for the Separated” during the book fair.

From left, Ingrid Pontes and Timothy Goodspeed perform during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland. Goodspeed is a social justice musician and literacy specialist who created “The Soapbox Salute.” Credit: Amaya Edwards
Christina Newhard, left center, speaks with an attendee during the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair at Emerson Elementary. Newhard is the publisher of Sari Sari, a press that publishes bilingual picture books with Filipino stories. Credit: Amaya Edwards
People browse through different books at the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair in Oakland. Credit: Amaya Edwards
People enjoying the 7th annual Social Justice Children’s Book Holiday Fair at Emerson Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: Amaya Edwards

“I feel like it’s so critical for kids to learn the true history of who they are, and see themselves represented in school,” Goodspeed said. “And there is, as we all know, a big fight against having true history or history that makes people feel uncomfortable.”

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