CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Telling the story of African American history through the lens of arts and culture is the Harvey B. Gantt Center’s purpose.
But reading it is just as important for Barbara Evans, program director for the Big Read initiative, a national initiative that the Gantt Center recently began.
“We come out to explore sports and music and entertainment, but this focuses on literature, books and literacy,” Evans said.
Charlotte is one of 62 communities across the country taking part in this year’s National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read.
According to Read Charlotte, more than half of all Charlotte-Mecklenburg third graders are not reading at grade level.
The nonprofit said roughly 75% of students who don’t read on grade level by the end of third grade never catch up. And those students are also four times more likely to drop out of school.
“This program gets people back to reading and it builds community at the same time,” Evans mentioned.
The Big Read program is a five-month initiative that aims to inform, engage and promote literacy through a series of programs centered around Yaa Gyasi’s novel, Homegoing.
“I see literature as a superpower because it’s the foundation for any field or occupation," Evans said. "And so, young people, old people, this type of program gives them access to knowledge and knowledge is powerful."
Evans also hopes this is a way to use history as a guide for the future, emphasizing the "power of literature and the power of reading and how it can transport you."
Big Read Charlotte runs through June 27.
For more information about the Big Read events in Charlotte, click here.
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