The Black Stories Reading Challenge gives children of color the opportunity to engage with Black literature for a monetary prize! Children of color ages 12 and under are welcome to sign up and submit a book report demonstrating comprehension and retention in order to receive a $50 prize. The goals of this reading challenge are:

• to get children to diversify their bookshelves;

• to encourage children to read for fun, retention, and comprehension; and

• to support and uplift Black stories and authors.

 

All participants must sign up before submitting their book report. Participants will be selected on a rolling, first come first serve basis as funds become available. Please submit one application per child (i.e. if you are a parent helping more than one child sign up, please fill out separate applications for each child). If you apply and there are no funds available, you’ll be added to a waitlist and notified once additional slots are available. When children are selected and notified, they will have 1 month to select an age appropriate book featuring a Black main character or written by a Black author and write a book report based on prompts that I provide. Prizes will be disbursed electronically or by mail.

 

I encourage all who enter this challenge to purchase your book from a Black owned bookstore! One of the goals of this program is to support Black authors and stories, and that includes our community bookstores. If you aren’t familiar with any bookstores in your area, please take a look at my International Database of Black Owned Bookstores to find a local or online shop you can support. You can also purchase your book through our Bookshop to further support our work.

 

If you are unable to purchase a book for this challenge, I encourage you to utilize your local libraries, many of which are offering COVID conscious curb-side pickup. If this is not an option in your area, please send me an email to discuss support options. If you are a Black owned bookstore, library, or other organization providing Black literature to children in need, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss collaborations on this effort!

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Thank you all for your support and feedback so far! I am looking forward to expanding on this reading challenge so that it is ongoing with funding available to all who apply. Please continue to share this campaign with your friends, family, and networks!