Reading Toward Diversity

When it comes to social justice, most people think of building a better world for adults. 

But not Pranati (Pranoo) Kumar, 34, an experienced educator who believes inspiring change begins with our youth. That’s why she founded Rohi’s Readery, a stand-alone children’s bookstore in West Palm Beach dedicated to promoting books about diversity and inclusivity for young readers. 

As Kumar explains, “If we want to get to the root of problems like racism, we need to make sure Black and Brown children — and others who are different — have a wide array of subject matter that reflects new voices, different backgrounds and experiences and social justice itself,” she says.

Kumar never had access to this type of literature as a child. She arrived in the United States with her parents when she was one and a half, living first in Dallas and then Austin. “There was not a large Indian community there,” Kumar remembers. “But I was welcomed and felt like I belonged within the Black and Brown communities in Dallas.”

While that experience helped set her course as an activist; it was her grandmother, Rohini Rao — an outspoken advocate for children — who inspired her to focus on those living in marginalized communities. Kumar identifies as part of the Global Majority, a term for 80% of the world’s population that is not white. “As a woman of the Global Majority, my dream is to provide an inclusive space where all children, including my own daughter, can see themselves in the pages of a book,” she explains.

Kumar’s family settled in Florida, and Kumar graduated from the University of Florida, briefly attending medical school before opting for a career in education. Not only did she find success teaching, but she also created a number of community-oriented programs and curricula for elementary schools on both the East and West coasts. Along the way, Kumar married Paul Skomra, a family physician, and had a daughter, Rohini, now nine months old. They live in Jupiter.

In June 2020, Kumar launched a YouTube program for children called “Shades of Brown, Read Aloud.” It was so popular she decided to open Rohi’s Readery last spring. The bookstore has given Kumar a chance to spread her message. “After all, it all starts with the little ones,” she observes. “We need to help and open their eyes to the rest of the world.”