Please help me raise duckets for Barbershop Books!
On Friday I'll be walking (yes, I am upright and walking again!) to raise funds for Barbershop Books and am politely requesting a wee bit of support. It's easy to take for granted how a boys enthusiasm for reading is cultivated and encouraged. Many boys do not have any models for reading or even receive helpful book recommendations that might inspire any interest in the practice.
Developed in Harlem, Barbershop Books is a community-based program that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops and provides early literacy training to barbers across America. This organization helps Black boys ages 4 – 8 to identify as readers by connecting fun books to a male-centered space and by involving Black men in boys’ early reading experiences.
The founder of Barbershop Books, Alvin Irby lays out the importance of this mission more eloquently than I could in the attached Ted Talk but the one quote I'll share is that "Some children see their barbers more than their fathers." Barbershop Books is elegantly designed program that tackles many issues I never could have imagined growing up and am excited to work with.
I'm looking forward to walking the Hudson River with colleagues in an effort to raise funds for this noble cause. Any support you can provide to help foster new enthusiastic readers is most appreciated.
Much Love,
Weller