PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When Jeannine A. Cook founded Harriett’s Bookshop in 2020, her mission was to celebrate women authors, artists, and activists in honor of historic heroine Harriet Tubman.
Since then, she’s opened two new bookshops: Ida’s in New Jersey and Josephine’s in Paris. And now, she’s turning another page.
Come November, she aims to send 10 youths from North Philadelphia to Paris for the chance to study abroad.
Why? Because she says these are the kids that would otherwise rarely be offered such a life-changing opportunity.
She says they worked diligently with the school district to “crest the first-ever credit-baring course for young people in an accelerated high school.”
Cook says Tubman is the inspiration behind the trip.
“If you’re in the spirit of Harriet Tubman, you know the Underground Railroad is this sacred passage between places with people you may not know are in the railroad with you, but are there to help you move from place to place,” she said.
“This is a victory story. Again, I attribute that to Harriet, to Ida [B. Wells], and to Josephine [Baker].”
The bookstore said it is seeking more donations before it can send students to its study abroad program.