Event Brings Black History Month to Kids

After listening to some of her all-time favorite stories read aloud, 15-year-old Jenele Dean browsed through the shelves of a children’s bookstore, looking for collections of poetry.

She said she loves to learn about African American heritage, and wished that more people did.

“I think it’s great when youth hear the legends of great African Americans,” Jenele said. “Because it’s not just African American history--it’s U.S. history.” Along with about 40 children, parents and teachers, Jenele went to the third annual African American “read-in” Sunday afternoon at Adventures for Kids bookstore in midtown Ventura.

Local teachers, principals and community members read stories and poems by African American authors, including Langston Hughes, Alice Walker and Bill Cosby. And while they read, children sat cross-legged with their eyes wide open, listening, giggling and applauding.

Throughout the county today, students and teachers will continue honoring Black History Month in their classrooms by discussing black culture, songs and history, and by reading stories by African American authors. The International Reading Assn.’s goal is to have more than 1 million people across the country reading books, short stories, speeches, songs and poems by African American authors by the end of today.

The international group’s Ventura County chapter, which sponsored Sunday’s event, also encouraged parents to read stories to their children at home, and community and religious organizations to reflect on African American history throughout the month.

Michele Dean, an assistant principal at Ocean View Junior High School in Oxnard, brought her two daughters, Jenele and Meredith, to the read-in so they could listen to the stories and learn more about their African American culture.

“Their history is not told,” Dean said. “It’s up to us as parents, and as community members, to fill in the gaps.”

Jody Shapiro, owner of the bookstore, said she does whatever she can to promote diversity. She started the event by reading Carolivia Herron’s controversial “Nappy Hair,” which tells the story of an African American girl’s emotional journey of self-acceptance.

“When you have a community as white as Ventura County, it’s even more important for children to be exposed and invited into the homes of African Americans, even if it is through books,” Shapiro said. “It gives kids an understanding of how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go.”

Only 9% of students in Ventura County schools are African American, according to county Supt. of Schools Charles Weis. He said because there isn’t ethnic diversity and multiculturalism throughout the county, events like Sunday’s read-in are very important for students, parents and teachers.

Caroline White, a language arts teacher at Frank Intermediate School in Oxnard, read several poems aloud, including “Where is the Black Community?” by Joyce Carol Thomas and “Without Commercials” by Alice Walker.

“Stop bleaching your skin and talking about so much black is not beautiful,” White read from Walker’s poem. “The color black is not bad at all.”

Dori Maria, who serves on the reading association’s board, brought 15 of her students from Frank Intermediate to the event. But before reaching the bookstore, the students held a picnic at a school playground across the street and read each other poems.

Several of the students, just as excited about visiting a bookstore as about the read-in, darted past a table of refreshments and went straight to the shelves, grabbing poetry, mystery and adventure books. One of Maria’s students, 13-year-old Laura Morales, said she wanted to learn more about African Americans and how they live.

“I didn’t know anything about it before,” Laura said. “Now I want to know about their lives and their kids. I’m becoming more and more interested in the culture.”