MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An online bookstore is on a mission to strengthen and support reading skills; especially, for children who reside in poor communities. Local 24 News Weeknight Anchor Katina Rankin has this local good news.
I always say, "With Books You Can Go Places, #READ"! That's exactly what the nonprofit, Black Children's Books and Authors or BCBA, wants kids to do - read. They're trying to build a community of lifelong readers who constructively use reading to empower themselves and others.
"Stats show that children in underserved areas have little or no books in their homes. Access to books increases access to information and imagination, and that will have a positive effect on their development and success," said BCBA Founder Stacy Ladonna.
Stacy Ladonna runs BCBA. Our Stories Matter is a leg of the nonprofit. It's an online bookstore where they promote reading.
The organization began back in 2015. And they really try to focus on socio-economically challenged areas. More importantly, they want children of color to see themselves in print.
"Literature is an art form. It expresses who we are and who we can be in real and imagined worlds. Black children need to see themselves in these worlds that will empower their voices and their visions," said Ladonna.
Pre-COVID, they were hosting book runs and book parties at local libraries all to get children excited about reading. They hope to get back to that soon. But until then, they say they'll continue their mission online so that children of color can see themselves represented on book covers and inside a book.
"For children of color who often struggle in some of these areas for various reasons, literacy is how they can use information and knowledge to advance themselves and others in our community and world," said Ladonna.
