by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
In the 1980s, members of the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English began talking about hosting a nationwide read-in of African American authors as part of Black History Month celebrations.
The goal was to encourage communities to read together, and especially to read aloud, works by Black authors. The full NCTE accepted the caucus’s recommendation and the African American Read-In became a national event in 1990.
James Monroe High School English teacher S.J. Cordell-Robinson was one of the first to jump on the idea. In 1991, she organized JM’s first African American Read-In as a small event for the students in her English classes.
“I took each class to the library where [Claudia Vandermade, the librarian] read to them a work by an African American author,” Cordell-Robinson said.
The story they heard was that of William and Ellen Craft, a married couple who were able to escape enslavement by having Ellen pass as a white woman with William acting as her prisoner.
Cordell-Robinson recalled that the first read-in was “an immediate success” with her students. She and Vandermade decided to host another event the following year and it has since become a traditional part of JM’s Black History Month celebrations.
“It’s now been more than 30 years,” said JM librarian Alice Cobey, who, along with Mary Washington Healthcare executive and longtime youth mentor Xavier Richardson, coordinated Monday’s Read-In.
“Over the years, we have done this in large part by having students read aloud poems by African American authors, but also by having our alumni (our history) come back to our school to speak about their successes in the wider world, helping our current students to aspire higher,” Cobey said.
At this year’s event, students gathered to hear original poems read aloud by their classmates, and by special guest Michael Bush, a local youth leader and mentor who ran last year for the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors.
Bush read two of his original poems, “Black History Cypher” and “Know Justice Know Peace.”
“My motivation behind wanting to come out and participate was to help provide as much service and perspective as I can and be connected to a group of young people,” Bush said. “I always try to provide a perspective that I think could be valuable for people looking to get involved in the creative process. I want to help engage and empower young people to use their own voices and share their own perspectives.”
A second guest speaker, Marquise Thornley, read aloud a “very powerful poem” that she wrote in honor and memory of Jasiah Smith, a JM student lost last year to gun violence, Cobey said.
This year’s Read-In also included a poetry contest among students in JM’s African American literature class. Teachers selected 13 out of 64 original poems submitted by students on the theme of “Overcoming Adversity” for final judging by Cordell-Robinson and Gayle Jones, who selected three winners and three honorable mentions.
These six students read their poems aloud on Monday. The first-place winner was Bryce Jones, for “The Black Mind.” Second place went to Hailey Zeller, for “Ode to Resilience,” and third place to Keanan Berry for “What Does it Mean to be African American?”
The poems that received honorable mention were “Black History Month” by Taniyah Brown, “My Past and Present” by Vivian Lau, and “Roots and Branches” by Kayla Gullage.
Bush said it was inspiring to hear the students share their personal perspectives on family, death, Black beauty and other important topics with a live audience.
“I loved it!” he said.
Bush said he knows that sharing something as personal as a poem with a live audience is a nerve-wracking experience.
But, he said, “It’s a value-add to yourself and to others,” who might be inspired by your message.
“The only thing separating you from sharing your message with the world is the adversity you create,” he said.
More than 6 million people worldwide have participated in the African American Read-In, according to the NCTE’s website about the initiative.
Watch Michael Bush perform his poem “Grey Area” below:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=I9clS6ldR5Y%3Fsi%3D6oph3YKvTk6sDSGX
