Community Reading Socials

Literacy Development, Social Connection, and Shared Experience

Bringing families together for meaningful cultural interactions, the Magnolia Literacy Project's community reading socials encourage engagement through books, group discussions, and shared experiences.

July 21, 2022: Brookhaven, Mississippi youth stirred up some “Good Trouble” at the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln County. Twenty-four youth gathered to read and discuss Andrea Davis Pinkney’s book, Because of You, John Lewis — a story about the civil rights icon’s friendship with one of his young supporters, Tybre Faw. The book captures Faw’s inspiration to become a leader because of Congressman Lewis’ influence. Pinkney compares Faw to Lewis, whose leadership was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and W.E.B. Dubois. The workshop focused on reading comprehension concepts such as theme, metaphor, visualization, text-to-self connection, and text-to-world connection.

June 17, 2022: At a Juneteenth Youth Workshop (Sponsored by the Magnolia Literacy Project and the Brookhaven/Lincoln County Boys and Girls Club), students learned about the Emancipation Proclamation; Black Americans’ delayed freedom in Galveston, TX; the significance of years 1863, 1865, & 2021; symbolism of the Juneteenth flag; and cultural practices surrounding the federal holiday. Mrs. Ada Pearl Black reinforced history lessons with a story-telling segment about her great grandfather, Henry Stewart, who was born into slavery. She told the youth, “He was a little kid, just like all of you, in Richmond, VA, where he spent his childhood in slavery. By the time President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he was grown. Being here celebrating Juneteenth with all of you is special to me because I’m also celebrating him.” The event included a video, interactive activities, and refreshments.

Black History Month 2022: Six students at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School in Jackson, Mississippi participated in The Magnolia Literacy Project’s 2022 Black History Month Youth Reading Spotlight. Addressing the theme, "Young, Black, and Powerful", the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders delivered presentations honoring young African Americans who are shaping history in the fields of business, finance, sports, entertainment, research and writing, art, and engineering. Trailblazers honored included inaugural poet Amanda Gorman; actor and film producer Marsai Martin; track and field legend Allyson Felix; American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Misty Copeland; writer Angie Thomas; inventor LaMonte Pierce; author and poet Malcom Mitchell; and writer and educator Tony Weaver.

Jackson State University students, Ghabriel Mossop and Elesia Murphy, served as narrators for the project.