K12’s Chairman Participates in Black History Month Literacy Initiative

Recently, K12’s Executive Chairman Nate Davis participated in the African American Read-In, a literacy initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) created in conjunction with Black History Month. The Read-In is a celebration of diversity in literature as each year more than a million participants nationwide gather to read excerpts from African American authors during February. The Read-Ins are usually held at schools, libraries, churches, and community centers.

Nate participated in this year’s Read-In via video at Florida’s Kissimmee Civic Center on February 20. He read from The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, the autobiography of a black cowboy and former slave who lived in the Old West following the Civil War. Although Nat Love grew up in the time of slavery when black literacy was prohibited, he secretly learned to read and write as a child and wrote this book in 1907 about his adventures as a cattle herder and expert marksman.

Nate calls it a “fascinating book,” and reminds kids that “reading books will teach you so much about what’s going on around you and going on in the world.”

The School Library Journal offers a comprehensive list of culturally diverse books, and Book Trust offers a list of the best books written by African American writers. Both are great ways to expand your children’s reading list at any time of the year!