Award Winning Non-Profit NABU Partners with HP and Super Model Jessica Michibata to Publish New Children’s Storybook on Anti-Xenophobia
NEW YORK – December 10, 2021
NABU, an award-winning non-profit with a mission to solve the global literacy crisis, has collaborated with HP and Jessica Michibata, a Japanese and Argentinian supermodel to develop a story about racial tolerance in light of growing hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The story is inspired by Jessica’s own childhood and features a young Japanese-American girl named Rachel, who leads us on a journey of self acceptance and belonging as she navigates bullying at her school.
I Love Being Me! promotes the power of self-compassion and true belonging through finding real value and strength within. In partnership with HP, the I Love Being Me! print book is now available for purchase globally on online book retailers, to support NABU’s ongoing mission with proceeds going to support efforts to distribute these stories globally. NABU is encouraging anyone to submit a translation in their own mother tongue through their website.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this project. I have a 4-year-old daughter so this opportunity could not have come to me at a better time. Growing up I just wanted to blend in, and I wish I had someone when I was younger to tell me that It was ok to be me.” – Jessica Michibata
In a world where many children do not see themselves reflected in the pages of their books, NABU leverages books like I Love Being Me! to address the diversity gap in publishing that impacts a child’s health and cognitive development. Only 11 percent of children’s books in the past 25 years have featured any kind of multicultural content, even though over 50 percent of children in the US identify as non-white.
I Love Being Me! ,the second in the HP partnership series, with Go Stella Go! being the first, is currently available in English, Japanese and Mandarin, and will be distributed digitally for free on NABU’s recently updated App – “NABU: Multilingual books for children” to children in developing countries where books are incredibly scarce and desired. HP is partnering with NABU on this series as part of its goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people by 2030. It’s also one of the ways HP is responding to the growing anti-Asian hate crimes globally.
About NABU
NABU is a non-profit organization, with a mission to solve the global literacy crisis so that every child can read and rise to their full potential. We disrupt the cycle of poverty by leveraging technology to publish children’s books for free on digital platforms in mother tongue languages.
About Jessica Michibata:
Jessica Michibata is an international model, author, and spokesperson. Having graced the covers of hundreds of magazines in Asia as Japan’s top model, she has been featured in campaigns for Evian and Shiseido. She has supported UNHCR, Just Giving, NABU, and other nonprofit organizations throughout thee career. Jessica now leads a bicontinental lifestyle between her hometown Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Hawai with her family.
About HP Inc.
HP Inc. is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world. Its product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions helps bring these ideas to life. Visit http://www.hp.com.
About Tokyo Art Office:
Tokyo Art Office is an art consultancy firm inspiring a new generation of art collectors.
Press Inquiries
Colleen Furman
Marketing Director
Email: colleen@nabu.org
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