LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Local activist and musician Devine Carama started a new, educational initiative for kids in Lexington: The Luna Library.
This project carries deep meaning as it is a mobile library in memory of his 18-year-old daughter Kamaria who died in a car accident in April 2020.
"When she passed away we were looking at ways and we could kind of keep her legacy alive and honor her and it was perfect just combining two of her passions: African American History and reading," Carama said.
He said before she died, his daughter wrote a grant while at STEAM Academy for African American History classes at the Carnegie Center. His hope is to carry out her legacy by delivering books to kids in grades K-12.
"We just want to provide context for those that might not understand and know about the Black experience in the United States. And then, we want to uplift and inspire young African American kids who may not have read a lot of books in school with characters that look like them are talking about their history," Carama said. "With each set of books that we give away to each student, it'll have a copy of her grant that she wrote, and then also kind of a one-page flyer and kind of telling the story. And then we're going to be partnering with Macy's as well. So they've donated some clothing items."
The project will focus on two different neighborhoods each month. Carama said the requests poured in for the East End and Heartland neighborhoods for August.
"The books are going to be going fast because we're going to be giving away books to 50 kids every month," Carama said. "So we're just asking people to make donations, so we can replenish as we continue to give books away to kids in the community."
To donate, you can send cash donations via Cash App ($BelievingInForever) or via Venmo (BelievingInForever). You can also message Carama on Facebook or email him at believinginforever@gmail.com.
Click here for the link to his an Amazon book wish list.
