White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans :: NBC News

@AfAmEducation

Get LIT(erature): Supporting a Lifelong Love of Reading

NBC News: 8.13.2016 by David Johns  and Andrene Jones-Castro

Growing up as a little Black boy in Inglewood, California, books provided me with opportunities to escape the jungle I called home.

I encountered new places and characters in the pages of my favorite novels, which were quite different from my childhood neighborhood. Literacy helped me find words to express my feelings, birth new ideas, and make sense of the loneliness and isolation that comes with being the only black boy in a classroom.

I saw myself in characters like Richard Wright's "Bigger Thomas" or in the young James Baldwin struggling to find self in the pages of "The Fire Next Time." I became acquainted with places I longed to explore. Developing a love of reading was much more than learning ABCs and sounding out words. Reading affirmed certain aspects my identity and equipped me with tools for success.

My journey is not unique. Many African Americans share their love of reading in their lives—both personally and professionally. For African American families, creating and supporting children's lifelong love of reading has lasting impacts.

═════════►

To maximize literacy development and in support of multiple forms of literacy for Black children in the 21st century, The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans supports The U.S. Department of Education's efforts to encourage everyone to #ReadWhereYouAre.  READ MORE @

David J. Johns is the executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Andrene Jones-Castro is a graduate intern at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and is a doctoral student studying education policy at the University of Texas at Austin.