Changing the Narrative: 100 Black Men Urged to Read with Kids to Combat Illiteracy

Reading is a fundamental skill, but not every child has the tools to be successful. This Black History Month, a reading campaign called on 100 black men to help give kids a boost to fight against illiteracy.

Mutulu Ekundayo showed up at the ‘Black Men Read’ event along with dozens of others at the Indianapolis Public Central Library on Saturday. He said, “I wanted to be somewhat of a spokesman to show them that it is cool to educate yourself and to give back to the community by educating others.”

Each one of the men was paired up with a child. They not only read to them but mentored them too. Chris Walker, 18, said, “This was an opportunity to help the younger generation under me.” He worked with seven-year-old Kaw’an Massey, who added, “It helps you learn and focus on learning and making yourself better.”

Despite Indiana’s fourth and eighth-grade reading scores increasing slightly in the latest nation's report card, minority students are still lagging behind. Keisha Howard, who helped organize the event, said, “If we had more of our black men just step up to say I don’t mind taking out time for the children we would see a very different direction taken with the kids, especially our African American children.”

Howard hopes that by keeping the ‘I Love to Read Campaign’ going, opening a book will open up doors for local kids. “The purpose of this is to get them back enjoying reading a book,” she said.

Mutulu Ekundayo added, “If they know how to do it if they see it done then it’s something they see on the table as an option for them. We have to change the narrative year-round, not just at an event or Black History Month.”

Close to 40 men showed up for the second annual reading event.

The campaign plans to hold a similar event in March for Women’s History Month along with several others throughout the year.