U.K. (2020)
We teamed up with think tank Runnymede Trust to launch Lit in Colour, a project that aims to diversify school reading lists by developing and providing a culturally diverse curriculum that more accurately represents today’s students and inspires them to read outside of their classes.
An analysis from Penguin Random House U.K. and Runnymede Trust found that 56 of 65 novels and plays on the GCSE English literature specifications are written by white authors. This report reflects recent data from Teach First, which found that pupils could leave school in England without studying a novel or play by a BIPOC author.
Lit in Colour will offer free books, create teaching resources, and invite authors to visit classrooms. The program will also analyze what’s currently being taught in English lessons and identify gaps to fill.
Access to a diverse and representative range of books, authors and characters is critical for all students, and we hope Lit in Colour will help inspire a lifelong love of reading by offering a wider range of voices, cultures, and perspectives on school book shelves.
U.S. (2020)
As part of our 2020 holiday campaign, Books Give More, we’ll donate one book to longtime partner We Need Diverse Books for every book purchased on penguinrandomhouse.com from October 20, 2020 through Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2020). During these unprecedented times, books are more important than ever, providing safe and accessible entertainment, and promoting a deeper understanding of the issues facing our community and country. Through our partnership with We Need Diverse Books this holiday season, we’ll be able to put more books into the hands of all children in economically disadvantaged schools around the country, helping to address the literacy gap that affects marginalized youth by giving children stories and authors they can relate to.
Penguin Random House U.S. is proud to partner with We Need Diverse Books for ongoing programs like our annual Creative Writing Awards.
LOS ANGELES, CA (2020)
Throughout the year, the Dodgers Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program typically hosts Dodger Days as community-based resource fairs at local parks for thousands of kids and their families in Southern California. In response to COVID-19, the new “drive-thru” series is an adjustment from its in-person format. The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) conducted a needs assessment with the Dodgers RBI families, their youth development program for 5 to 18-year-olds. Of the youth currently enrolled in this program, 25% have household incomes below $20,000 annually. Through this assessment, they found that the majority of families indicated lack of access to books as a barrier to distance learning.
The LADF hosted five drive-thru events in June, providing over $480,000 in food boxes, exercise and fitness resources, softball and baseball equipment, books, and educational support to feed families and help youth stay active and healthy.
Penguin Random House donated 500 books that were given away to attending families for their children.
Through the LADF, the Dodgers have been providing critical donations to support the local COVID-19 relief efforts that will hopefully uplift significantly impacted Angelenos, including the most vulnerable populations. In 2017, PRH also partnered with the L.A. Dodgers and LADF on their joint initiative, LA Reads, to help address the literacy crisis in Los Angeles, by getting children excited about reading, with a special event at the Los Angeles Central Library.
Since 2010, Penguin Random House has donated more than 550,000 digital books to Worldreader to help children read in underserved schools across Sub-Saharan Africa. To celebrate International Literacy Day in 2020, we encouraged our readers to help bring more books to children. With every book purchased on our website, we donated $1 to Worldreader.
In these pictures, a classroom full of students in Kibera, Kenya eagerly reads. In their hands they’re holding a library of thousands of books – including lots of favorite Penguin Random House books. The ability to read and learn gives these students a chance to improve their lives. And that ripples through to their families and their communities. As Worldreader’s largest global publishing partner, we are proud to help advance literacy around the world. We have donated hundreds of licenses for Worldreader e-reader programs in sub-Saharan Africa, linking literature of all reading levels and age groups to schools and libraries throughout the region.
We proudly partner with Worldreader to help create a world where everyone is a reader.
U.S. (2020)
Penguin Random House’s donation of 750,000 books to First Book as part of READ TOGETHER, BE TOGETHER is featured on CNN International’s “Impact Your World” series. This special series showcases how companies around the world are giving back during the COVID-19 crisis.
This donation is one of the many ways Penguin Random House is helping communities affected by the pandemic. To meet the urgent need expressed by educators coping with school closures as a result of COVID-19, the donated books will be sent to programs and schools that are currently delivering books, food, and supplies to our youngest citizens who are isolated and locked out of a learning environment.
See the video on CNN here.
As Penguin Random House, we hold a collective belief that a diverse range of voices needs to be elevated and heard. Externally, we are committed to using our platform to amplify an even broader range of voices aligning even further with our mission to “create books for everyone.” Internally, we are working to build an inclusive and psychologically safe work environment for all employees.
We are guided by five core pillars that shape our DEI efforts across the business.
Leadership Investment:Hold leaders accountable for implementing PRH’s DEI vision, setting goals, achieving results, and being role models.
Diversity & Representation: Ensure that PRH attracts, sources, and recruits candidates who will help achieve our mission to “create books for everyone” responsibly and with authenticity.
Professional Development: Integrate DEI principles into talent development and retention efforts.
Psychological Safety & Belonging: Create a psychologically safe, inclusive environment through comprehensive Learning & Development programs and concise DEI communication.
Content & Marketplace: Demonstrate a measurable companywide increase in content we’re acquiring, publishing, and promoting from the widest range of contributors with the ultimate goal of publishing books that reflect the world we live in.
While these pillars have advanced our progress in establishing more inclusive business practices, there is still much more important work to do. Together with our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Councils, Employee Resource Groups, and leadership teams, we will continue our ongoing and evolving plan for action to achieve our aspiration of creating an inclusive corporate environment and publishing community.
U.S. (2020)
At Penguin Random House, we believe in and strive to create an environment of belonging and respect for all. We as individuals and as the collective leadership of this company recognize the urgent need to forge a path toward positive change. Black Lives Matter. Black Stories Matter and Black Voices Matter—and as publishers, we commit to using the powers of our creativity and ingenuity to lift those voices up in the world.
A list of anti-racist books and resources can be found here.
Our employees across the territories are leading teams, such as the Sustainability Subcommittee in the United States and the Environment Team in Australia/New Zealand, to make grassroots efforts to combat climate change. In the United States, the Sustainability Subcommittee is an employee-led group of engaged colleagues who are dedicated to positively affecting the environment. In tandem with our corporate efforts, through awareness campaigns and events, the Subcommittee aims to have a positive impact in our communities and the environment where we work and live.
