African American Read-In postcard.
Courtesy of  NCTE.

The Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and NCTE are urging schools and libraries to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month in February by hosting a read-in. The event can be as simple as bringing together a few kids to share a book, poem, or speech (or anything) authored by an African American, or as elaborate as arranging a public presentation by a professional African American writer. Traditionally, the day for the read-in has been designated as the first Monday in February, which is February 1 this year. However, you can hold your event anytime during the month of February. There's no need to register in advance, but NCTE does ask that participating schools and libraries submit a short report after the read-in. For a toolkit, badges, suggested reading lists, and more resources and information, check out NCTE.org.