UC Joins National Literacy Campaign as Part of Black History Month

The University of Cincinnati will join schools, libraries, churches, bookstores and community organizations around the nation in a national literacy campaign as part of Black History Month. The UC 2008 African-American Read-in will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, in the MainStreet Cinema, located in the Tangeman University Center on UC’s West Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Angela Gooden, head of the UC Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library, says members of the UC and the Cincinnati USA community are invited to participate in the UC event in MainStreet Cinema, either by reading two-minute excerpts from books authored by African-Americans or by joining the audience. To take part in the read-in, contact Gooden at 513-556-1582, or e-mail angela.gooden@uc.edu

“The African-American Read-in is a great idea for both emphasizing the importance of reading and for highlighting the diverse cultural and creative works for African-American writers, storytellers and poets,” says Kenneth Ghee, UC associate professor of psychology and one of the participants in the UC African-American Read-in. “While some passages may educate and others may inspire, the Read-in also encourages all of us to pick up our pen or keyboard and start sharing our knowledge and ideas through writing.

“This program is particularly important to young African-Americans who may benefit from the program’s national emphasis on creative expression and literary exposure in their daily academic practice and routine. Thus, the African-American read-in has the potential to not only be enjoyable and entertaining, but more importantly, it can also be informative and inspirational,” says Ghee.

Featured readers representing the University of Cincinnati include:

• Roger Collins, professor of educational studies and leadership, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) – Collins will read a passage from Cane, by Jean Toomer
• Erma Fritsche, head, Library Technology Services – Fritsche will read from Fences, by August Wilson.
• Kenneth Ghee, associate professor of psychology, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences – Ghee will read a selection from his self-written, unpublished screenplay, titled, The Education of Malcolm: Black to the Future.
• Darwin Henderson, associate professor of teacher education, CECH, will read Virginia Hamilton’s “The Peculiar Such Thing.” The story is published in her collection of Black American folktales, The People Could Fly. Hamilton was an award-winning writer for children and young adults.

“This is a very popular tale, otherwise know as

Tailypo

,” Henderson explains about his selected reading. “The author states in an afterward that this ‘is considered by some to be a fairy tale that can be traced to English fairy tales. However, this Black-American version has a fright or horror tactic to it that gives more of the feeling of a ghost tale.’

“I’ve selected it because it’s perfect to read aloud, the language is smooth, and there are moments when the storyteller or reader can pause to evoke emotions,” Henderson says. “It’s a very well known tale told throughout Appalachia, a tale which is significant to both black and white Appalachian cultures.”

The UC African-American read-in is sponsored by Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD), the Department of African and African-American Studies, the Geology-Mathematics-Physics Library and MainStreet Cinema.

Sponsored nationally by the Black Caucus of the National Councils of Teachers of English and endorsed by the National Reading Association, the NCTE reports that more than one million readers representing a variety of ethnic groups have participated in past read-ins, which have yielded participation from 49 states, the West Indies and African countries.

University Libraries will be featuring an exhibit in celebration of the African-American Read-in. The exhibit, titled, “Books to Inspire and Inform,” will be located in the fourth-floor lobby of Langsam Library beginning Feb. 1. The exhibit will include books by African-American authors that are in the University Libraries collections.