4K
Posts
10K
Followers
Good food. Good people. Good living. Localish is all about bringing out the good in America’s cities.
Barbershop Books cultivates joy of reading among Black boys
A community-based literacy program called Barbershop Books aims to create a future where all children identify as readers. Its mission is to inspire young Black boys to read, not because they have to but because they want to.
Barber shops participating in the program offer child-friendly bookshelves filled with titles boys choose themselves. The books are both fun and culturally meaningful.
According to the Department of Education, more than 80% of African American boys in the fourth grade are not reading at a proficient level. Barbershop Books founder Alvin Irby doesn't blame the kids.
"Many Black boys find themselves in under-resourced schools with ill-prepared teachers. They don't teach themselves to read yet they're on the receiving end of our society's lack of investment and focus," he said.
Irby's program is helping narrow the gap by inspiring a joy of reading in Black boys and other vulnerable youth.
Comments
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Thomas Smith
Check Your Freezer: Ice Cream Recalled Due to Concerns Over Deadly Bacteria
Lidl shoppers should check their freezers after the retailer recalled one lot of gelato over possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The company's October 16 recall announcement, published by the FDA, says routine testing detected the bacteria in a laboratory sample. No illnesses had been reported when the notice was issued.
Margaret Minnicks
CJ Coombs
Missing since early 2025 from Haleiwa, Hawaii: Samantha Ayako Chun was 17 when she disappeared
Samantha Ayako "Sammy" Chun disappeared in Haleiwa, Hawaii (Honolulu County), on January 17, 2015 , according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). At the time, she was 17 and would now be 18.