The RESILIENT READERS BOOK CLUB is a school age book gifting initiative created by the nationally renowned The 15 White Coats and Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore to provide access to high quality Black literature through book boxes placed inside of youth centered organizations. The Indianapolis launch is made possible by global power leader Cummins Inc., through its Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (CARE) initiative. We are all committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Moreover, we are committed to making a meaningful and lasting impact in the city of Indianapolis, IN.

Who

In 2019, The 15 White Coats (www.the15whitecoats.org), an internationally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to diversify medicine through mentorship, literacy accessibility, and economic assistance. The 15 White Coats started after a photo of 15 Tulane School of Medicine African-American medical students posing in front of plantation slave quarters went viral. The organization has helped over 2000 students with over $500,000 in scholarships to help with entering the healthcare field, whether it’s physicians, dentists, PAs, optometrists, NPs, nurses, etc. Moreover, nearly 10,000 15 White Coats photos have been distributed to schools, students, institutions, and businesses worldwide. 

The non-profit has been featured by Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, New Orleans Times-Picayune, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, U.S. Today, AAMC, AMA and People Magazine.

Visit their site to learn more. 

Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore is a bookstore on wheels sharing stories that uplift Black life, Black heritage, and Black joy. Described as a "bookstore on wheels with ice cream truck energy” owner, Natalie Pipkin is on a mission to provide access and awareness to Black stories as well as excitement and engagement around reading, Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore debuted as Indiana's first bookstore on wheels June 2022 and is the first of its kind in the region. Since its initial online launch in December 2020, Black Worldschoolers has been a recipient of the Jrue & Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund, featured in Sports Illustrated, Scripps News, The Indianapolis Star, WFYI, FOX59 and WRTV. 

Visit the Black Worldschoolers site to learn more.

Cummins Inc., is a 104-year-old global power technology leader, with complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 73,600 people and is committed to powering a more prosperous world through three global corporate responsibility priorities critical to healthy communities: education, environment and equality ofopportunity. Cummins has a deeply rooted history in fighting for social justice, serving its communities and living the company’s core values of diversity and inclusion.

In October 2020, Cummins Inc. launched Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (CARE) so Cummins could take a leading role in the work to dismantle systemic discrimination against the Black community in the U.S. As a first step in this journey, CARE brings together all Cummins' capabilities - its people, its balance sheet and the company’s philanthropy - to drive racial equity and combat the impact of racism on its people, communities, and economy. 

Through CARE, Cummins is taking decisive action to address, and spearhead change throughout targeted CARE communities in the U.S., across four impact areas:

• Police reform
• Criminal justice reform
• Economic empowerment
• Social justice reform

Through CARE’s efforts, Cummins is dedicated to improving communities in which it operates to have a direct impact on the lives of its employees and its neighbors.

WHY

According to Indiana’s National Assessment Educational Progress (NAEP), only 33% of 4th graders in Indiana read at or above a proficient level, with Black students among those suffering most. The NAEP results reflect the reality of educational inequities created by centuries of systemic racism that are still present today. How do we begin to engage and excite youth in the area of reading? High quality, culturally relevant books that can serve as mirrors and motivation to a historically left out population is a start. The Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood of Indianapolis has a scarcity of books in places where Black children are present and a lack of stories that positively reflect the youth within the communities.

This partnership is created to provide children and families access to enjoyable books, powerful stories and meaningful community interaction that will cultivate, a joy for reading, a healthy sense of self, fruitful lives and future aspirations. We will display boxes containing 15 curated books for K-3rd graders as designed by The 15 White Coats & Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore.

Employees from the Cummins Community Involvement Team (CIT) along with volunteers within partnering organizations will deliver the threetiered book boxes and read stories aloud to the children at site locations throughout the year. Locations in the Martindale-Brightwood community as identified by the Edna Martin Christian Center, Kipp Indy, and other local partners. The partnership will host a literacy event in collaboration with Kipp Indy Schools in Spring 2023 to bring in the Mobile Bookstore and National Book Award Finalist, Author, Derrick Barnes. 

Resilient Readers Book Club is a book gifting initiative for school age children created by the nationally renowned, The 15 White Coats and Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore, providing access to culturally relevant literature to inspire the youth of tomorrow. The Indianapolis area launch will take place March 6th 3 pm-6pm at KIPP Indy Legacy High School, and is powered by Cummins Inc.

We are inviting local and national media outlets to attend this groundbreaking event as well as to print details in order to raise awareness to the importance of having access to culturally relevant literature within our communities.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release (or for a sample, copy or demo), contact Dr. Russell J. Ledet at contact@the15whitecoats.org..

Over the past few months, Cummins has been communicating internally to our employees, and publicly, our concerns with laws and proposals that limit the ability of people to make decisions about their reproductive healthcare. We are very concerned with the proposed legislation in South Carolina that would limit reproductive healthcare access. 

If passed, this legislation will impact our employees, our communities and impede our ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce in South Carolina. Cummins believes that women should have the right to make reproductive healthcare decisions as a matter of gender equity, ensuring that women have the same opportunity as others to participate fully in the workforce and that our workforce is diverse. South Carolina’s proposed legislation is contrary to this goal.

For Cummins to be successful it is critical that we have a safe and welcoming workplace, and communities where we embrace our differences and enable all employees to thrive. As we continue to grow our footprint with a focus on selecting communities that align with our values and business goals, this law will be considered in our decision-making process.

We want to make it clear that Cummins will continue to provide our employees with access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, regardless of where they live and are able to make healthcare decisions based on what they believe is right for them.

Today, our company has received a number of media inquiries about Cummins’ position on Indiana’s abortion law. We want to be clear that we have been communicating our position on this issue to our employees and directly with legislative leaders prior to, and during, the legislative process. Below is the full statement we shared with our employees on Saturday, August 6.

"Late last night, the Indiana General Assembly passed a comprehensive abortion bill that the Governor has signed into law. We are deeply concerned about how this law impacts our people and impedes our ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce in Indiana – concerns that we have voiced to legislators. Cummins believes that women should have the right to make reproductive healthcare decisions as a matter of gender equity, ensuring that women have the same opportunity as others to participate fully in the workforce and that our workforce is diverse. This law is contrary to this goal and we oppose it.

For Cummins to be successful it is critical that we have a safe and welcoming workplace, and communities where we embrace our differences and enable all employees to thrive. As we continue to grow our footprint with a focus on selecting communities that align with our values and business goals, this law will be considered in our decision-making process.

We have also been clear and consistent in advocating that we will continue to provide our employees with access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, regardless of where they live and are able to make healthcare decisions based on what they believe is right for them.

This law does not affect our right to offer reproductive health benefits and we will continue to offer such benefits to our employees."
 

Last week, a canoe was installed along the Cultural Trail at Cummins Indianapolis Distribution Headquarters (DBUHQ) in Indianapolis, Ind. This decorative canoe is one of several across Indianapolis. 

This was the latest development in Cummins’ involvement with the White River Alliance’s efforts to place art installations around the Upper White River Watershed to promote awareness and conversations about the important and limited water resources of Central Indiana. The unveiling of the canoes also supports the White River Alliance’s release of “The Collective Tap”, a podcast about water and the many ways we interact with this critical resource every day.

The canoe installed at Cummins DBUHQ was painted by Walt Thacker. The theme for the painting is “Water Use in Jobs and Manufacturing”.

The plaque description reads: “Water is a vital part of countless manufacturing processes, including the production of heavy industrial machinery, the building of roads, and the development of pharmaceutical products. All of these industries play a major role in Indiana’s economy and have a big impact on our water supply.”

Organizing and leading community action projects throughout the Upper White River, the White River Alliance has assembled teams of stakeholders from all industries/backgrounds to collaborate on the best way to protect the water (including the land around the water) and spread awareness of critical water issues. They are an active partner with both Cummins and The Nature Conservancy in support of the recent $3M Mississippi River Basin Grant announced earlier this year.

Stop by the DBUHQ to view this exhibit, and find the other canoes in the following locations: Muncie, Anderson, Noblesville, Carmel, Broad Ripple, Speedway, Downtown Indianapolis and Martinsville.

Click here to learn more about Cummins’ efforts to promote water sustainability through Cummins Water Works.