10 Philly youths will be heading to Paris to study abroad this fall thanks to Harriett’s Bookshop

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When Jeanine 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, 10 youths from North Philadelphia will get the chance to study abroad in Paris.

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].”