UMKC event one of many scheduled across the country

University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries recently hosted the campus’ sixth annual African American Read-In to celebrate Black History Month and African American literary traditions.

A dozen individuals participated in the two-hour event. Readings included poems, an essay and a blog post. One person also performed a short dramatic piece. The works shared included items written by Audre Lorde, Aracelis Girmay, Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, James de Jongh, Carolyn Rodgers, and Langston Hughes, as well as original poems by local poets and writers Gloria Anderson, Kelly Hams-Pearson, Archuleta Chisolm and Natasha Ria El-Scari.

Aishah Harvey, pictured above, performed a dramatic excerpt from “Do Lord Remember Me” by James de Jongh.

The Feb. 24 Read-In was one of many scheduled across the country. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is the national sponsor of the African American Read-In, which was created in 1989 by the Black Caucus of the NCTE. Locally, the UMKC University Libraries hosted their first Read-In in 2010. It was organized by Gloria Tibbs, a librarian at the Miller Nichols Library.

“I wanted to do something for Black History Month that would bring the campus community and the greater Kansas City community together,” Tibbs said. “I was doing internet research and came upon the concept of the African American Read-In and realized it was perfect. You celebrate the works of African American authors and you also celebrate literacy, so I could use it as a vehicle to communicate the value of literacy.”

Tibbs broadened the concept to include a variety of expressions beyond readings to include musical performances and dramatic interpretations. “We stressed the total African American cultural experience,” she said.

The members of this year’s African American Read-In planning committee were Tom Burns, Ashley Davis, Liz Johnson, Gloria Tibbs and Tracey Hughes.