Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Pranati (Pranoo) Kumar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Pranati (Pranoo) thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
“Being seen and heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.”
I think of this quote often when thinking about the idea of my kahanee, my story. What does a sacred space and place do for a child? What power does it have for a child to feel seen in their full identity and being.
What is your story they ask? Why a bookstore?
The idea has been manifesting itself in many ways through experiences. Long before the days of beginning my career and journey in education. I didn’t know it though until I started connecting my work to my story. Getting messy with the personal and professional that led to liberation. When I was 2 my mother and I moved to the Deep South, Texas to be exact. My dad working hard to lay a solid foundation for us. Basically starting all over. 1 ranked in his country for education, multiple degrees, but coming here. Culture shock. My father continues to work those same hours. Retirement is not a commonly used term in India.
We encountered many experiences of oppression and racism in the professional and educational space. My parents are incredible, they fought for the American Dream, all while being kept out of it, for me.
And while I many not have realized it then, as I have grown I have been able to reflect on the wrongs of the past and realize that my identity, or lack thereof, was definitely formed by the experience of feeling invisible, attempts to assimilate and simply not seeing myself in the places my family and I considered to be safe- like school. We know that schools were not traditionally built for People of Color and so how could one feel embraced in their being by a place that meant to keep them out
When I was 10 I was told that I wasn’t smart but worked hard. I couldn’t read well but probably because English was my second language. Finding ways to make the very essence of my being the things that were not deemed qualified. News flash, multilingual babies pick up reading skills oftentimes at an exponentially faster rate.
By 15, began to feel a sense of isolation, depression, called a terrorist, and watched as police stopped us due to suspicious action anonymous call. This was post 9/11.
By 23, I found myself going through dark emotional and mental health experiences- depression and suicide attempt- and all while feeling a lack of worth. Culturally speaking, mental health is not something frequently talked about or acknowledged. But I wonder if it is due to colonized practices that were instilled in our culture. The attempt to erase our ancestry. Because much of the Indian culture does revolve around mind, body, spirit. YOGA. Were we trained to believe otherwise because of what was seen as a pillar of wealth, value, money, success. Whiteness? Either way, I couldn’t find a place to feel unapologetically me.
So as I became older I realized more and more that we are not just what we feel in the moment, but instead made up of a collective of experiences that reveal themselves. Leaving medical school was part of my story. Feeling as though I had failed my immigrant family. Part of my story. But when it comes to the professional space, I dare not mention any of the past. It would show weakness.
Things were meant to be “separated.” But how can we tell our children, even ourselves, that we should follow our passion but suppress the very journey that brought us there once we become adults. Somehow we are told to separate ourselves from the work, the emotion. “Don’t make it personal.” But isn’t that where JOY comes from? Motivation? Something greater than you?”
At 25, becoming an educator saved my life. My families and babies from the South Bronx, to Harlem, Seattle and in between are my heroes.
The ability to grow in a community both personally and professionally, while getting to advocate for something I believed was right to children and families- the community based education experience- chipped away at the brokenness I felt as a child and adult. Slowly but unknowingly, the gift of teaching others was in fact teaching me. It was addressing trauma through witnessing children as early as 4 talking about their culture proudly. The adults proudly celebrating the multigenerational experience of leaning on each other, be it pick up or making lunches. The gift of being an educator gave me the opportunity to talk about the things I wanted for my students, social emotional learning rooted in culturally responsive practice, books on the shelves that reflected our student localities, decolonizing curriculum and getting to write about what we couldn’t find in boxed curriculum written by those who had never stepped foot in the classroom. So I taught in the Bronx and Harlem founded a 12-1-1 and ICT special education program and PreK curriculum, moved to Seattle and co- founded the first elementary charter in the WA, committed to DEIA practice. But being in this space was another story.
At 32 I began to feel like the flowchart of the “Problem of Women of Color in the Workforce”. You start out being celebrated, welcomed. The honeymoon phase. Then you begin to press at issues that feel inequitable and begin to feel like a tokenized hire. There is repetitive injury and microaggression with no addressing. There is a denial of discrimination through the process of ignorance and blame and then ultimatum the retaliation of the Woman of Color. The org sees them as a threat, targets and conflicts this as a “communication issue” or “ not a good fit”. The woman of color exits the workforce. This is what happened to me. A founder. Pushed out. Because I refused to be silent about my story when I was telling the babies to share the truth of theirs. I wrote a letter along with others who experienced the same, shared with the Gates Foundation and other orgs that were funding this school based on discriminatory values. It worked. They lost one of their biggest funders. This was a moment for me. I couldn’t see beyond the personal and realized after pressing send that I could lose my credibility immediately.
I left the school at at 33, founded divHERse education consulting, committed to representation and retention of women of Color in ed leadership. I thought, this is it! I am going to bust my ass and find ways into leadership spaces. 2020 happened. Multiple pandemics. One that has been happening for hundreds of years being brought to light. One caused by a virus. We’ve been talking about many of the issues coming to light recently in the past year for a long time in education. A LONG time. But no one heard our voices. They were and have been there. Talking about dismantling the practices that contribute to oppression in the classroom. Changing the libraries and curriculum to honor all communities. And if you work in education, you know that there are MANY hoops, walls, barriers to break down to get something passed. Many statements were made around anti-racism, but yet, the work doesn’t change. My consulting opportunities were fruitful. I was making some money. But bits and pieces were taken not to offend or shake anything up. For me, I couldn’t stand by the inauthenticity. But where to go from here? In education, it is really hard to navigate systems of leadership. And as an educator it is frustrating and feels all encompassing of emotion.
So the Readery came to fruition right after my daughter was born while thinking about how to make change around the system when the system won’t let me. To reclaim our ancestral power of resistance. Honoring what they have done.
Rohis Readery, a social justice driven children’s bookstore and learning center committed to honoring and sharing the honest and JOYFUL stories of historically marginalized communities. Black, Indigenous, Arab, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latine, LGBTQIA+ disability and neurodiversity community. Free educational programming for children and adults to find liberation and freedom.
Creating opportunities for safe spaces and authentic conversation.
Rohi’s Readery has been built because of stories that have been silenced. My story, maybe yours, and those who came before us. It was a pivot for me. From small steps of advocacy to courage in unapologetic truth. Connecting my story to the work. And in ways that allow us to build belonging on the way. Babies by 2 years use race to reason about people’s behaviors. By 30 months use race to choose playmates. Expressions of racial prejudice peak at 4 and 5 years. By Kindergarten, children show many of the same attitudes that reflect the adults around them. But between the ages of 5-7, studies show that explicit conversations around interracial friendships can dramatically improve their racial attitudes in as little as a single week. If we refuse to say anything, we are the ones to blame. For our children will never fully understand their truest selves or learn of the stories of others. Windows and mirrors we call them.
We have hosted over 100+ free events (paid for by the Readery to ensure accessibility), brought 1,100 people together with at least 170 coming to more than one class. We offer Creative and Healing Writing, Adult Book Club for Women of Color,Inclusive Yoga and Educator Workshops for adults for example. For children, we have Revolutionary Storytime and Activist Activities, Ancestral Cooking Classes, Gardening, Dance and Music hosted by local high school students, Local Author Signings and so much more. We have distributed over 5,000 books through donations, sponsorships, sales and grants. Over 40 partnerships have been created and 15 publications and at least a 600% increase in education consulting and training. The goal is for the classes to build community but also perhaps give you opportunity to reflect on your story. Share with another, build connection through your work. The future of the Readery sometimes feels scary with all that is happening in Florida. In our country. But that too will be a part of my story. And I refuse to stop. Because our babies have to continue to live and work in spaces that don’t even take into consideration their vote. The Readery is about liberation, not assimilation.
Pranati (Pranoo), love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Rohi’s Readery is the only stand alone social justice driven children’s bookstore and learning center in Florida, committed to critical literacy that promotes inclusivity and diversity. It is a space where we honor everyday joyful experiences of historically marginalized communities through the pages of a book. Whether showing characters in beautiful shades of Black and Brown, the LGBTQIA+ community, characters with disabilities and neurodiversity, or information that has historically been presented inaccurately, the goal of the Readery is for you to see yourself in the pages of a book or learn about the stories of those you don’t know. A space for building community, empowerment and accessibility. Taken together, books about white children, talking bears, trucks, monsters, potatoes, etc. represent nearly three quarters (71%) of children’s and young adult books published in 2019. (CCBC). A majority of the authors and illustrators have also been intentionally chosen to highlight people of the People of Color and marginalized communities in the Readery. We offer free educational programming for children and adults (all paid for by the Readery) to ensure we are coupling rich, beautiful, and oftentimes banned literature with identity driven experiences for all. We have developed over 40 partnerships, brought nearly 1,100 loving community members together, hosted 100+ free events both on and off campus, and consulted with a number of schools around Early Childhood, Elementary and DEIA curriculum and coaching.
I believe that we are co-constructors of learning and we have an opportunity to cultivate the genius that already lives within our littlest ones. We have also extended the work beyond educational and non-profit spaces and into for-profit spaces. For example, I recently consulted with a new boutique hotel that wanted to focus on DEIA driven educational programming for children. I curated and designed a diverse library in the game room, provided feedback for their visuals for children (menu, interactive activities, etc.) and filmed a series of bedtime stories free and accessible that highlighted inclusive experiences.
The Readery is a space to feel welcomed, empowered and create connections with a book, a human being, or a physical space of comfort. We call our readers Revolutionary Readers because just the simple idea of reading a book can create change. “We read something, we learn something, we share it with the world!”. My hope is that children know by just being and sharing your gifts can be a form of activism.
Have you ever had to pivot?
We’ve been talking about many of the “recent” issues for a long time in education. Talking about dismantling the practices that contribute to oppression in the classroom- for children and adults. Diversifying the teacher pipeline, curriculum and libraries to honor all experiences. And if you work in education, you know there are many hoops and barriers towards decision making. As an educator of Color, I have experienced an antagonistic work culture that has at times made me feel unwelcome/ invisible. I’ve been the token educator of Color. I have felt undervalued because I am seen as someone “strong enough” to handle the additional responsibility however not compensated in the same way as my white counterparts or given “rest days”. The DEIA support services have been oftentimes non-existent, thus contributing to the cycle of burnout, first year departure and isolation. During these times I have always thought of my ancestors and how hard they fought for me to have the opportunity to do this work, with much more severe consequences. But overcoming the challenges is not easy especially with the long hours, 6AM-9PM in the building and many times the weekend too. I committed during this process to supporting schools with DEIA curriculum consulting, including decolonizing PBL and creating identity driven SEL. In 2019 I founded divHERse, an education consulting company with the goal of ensuring voice, representation and retention of Women of the Global Majority in education leadership, thus providing opportunities for children to see themselves. Yet even during this time, much of my contracts felt they were serving performative reasons. Bits and pieces of work used and others not because of potential “disruption”. And as an educator it is frustrating and all encompassing of emotion. Through that frustration though was where Rohi’s Readery came to fruition. Right after my daughter was born, 16 months ago, while thinking about how to make change around the system when the system won’t let me. How to share the breadth of beautiful books and learning when challenges arise you also have a space to build and create community within this season.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
It is so hard to pick one moment because so many moments are made up of many people who have brought me to this space of speaking unapologetic truth. However, I think building Rohi’s Readery during the height of a pandemic while taking care of a newborn has been the most rewarding and humbling moment of my career. I have been so used to living independently and creating schedules that I could live by with ease. But looking back and reflecting on pictures of Rohini laying on a tummy time mat on the concrete floor while I fill out paperwork for permits, my loving husband wallpapering late hours into the night while I carry our baby, and in between those moments of doing community outreach, have taught me more than I could ever learn from a degree or adult. On top of that being pregnant during the 11 months of the Readery being open and going back to work 2 weeks after delivering our newest addition. Rohini and Ramani have taught me the value of patience, authenticity in emotion and most importantly that the time I spend with them, my family, and myself to rest from the exhaustion is taking back stolen time from the ancestors.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rohisreadery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rohisreadery/
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/pranati-pranoo-kumar/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpJPUcRF6F9K2l4kuAxIi7g/videos?app=desktop&view=0&sort=p&flow=grid