Give Big, Get LIT: Bridging the Gap Through Literacy and Storytelling.

Young, Black & Lit is coming to Detroit!

The organization is celebrating its fifth birthday by launching the Give Big, Get LIT: Bridging the Gap Through Literacy and Storytelling. It’s a national book-giving campaign, which includes donating 25,000 books to kids, schools, and organizations across the U.S.

Young, Black & Lit has already distributed more than 54,000 books in its first five years of operation. They are partnering with MACC Foundation in Detroit to donate 2,000 books and hosting The Young, Black & Lit Future Author Contest to increase access for young writers (grades K-8), with their caregivers or parents, in Detroit. Ten lucky winners (two in each city) will become published authors in an anthology of short stories!

The book-giving deadline is May 1st; the writing contest deadline is May 1st as well!

To learn more about the event and to access the contest rules and book donations, please visit: YoungBlackandLit.org/5year

Why is this important?

On a national level, according to the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 18 percent of Black fourth graders were proficient in reading.

Study after study has shown that increased access to books in the home has a significant impact on children’s reading achievement. Source: “Access To Books,” Scholastic

In 2020, only 12% of children’s books were about black characters and less than 8% of books were written by black authors. (Source: CBCC) Young, Black & Lit makes it easier for children to access quality books featuring Black characters and books written by Black authors by doing the research to find books that affirm the varied experiences of Black children; building at-home libraries, self-esteem, and life-long readers, one book at a time.

Studies have also shown the critical importance of representation in children’s literature. Source: “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors”