Forget Bedknobs and Broomsticks

It’s All About Barbershop Bookshelves with Black Boys read too

After a particularly difficult day teaching 5th grade in the Buffalo Public Schools, Ruqayyah Simmons called friend Jelicia Jimenez, the school librarian, asked, “Do you want to help me put books in barbershops?” and Black Boys Read Too was born. Both founders noticed a lack of ability and interest in reading, plus a lack of access to books, for many students, especially the black boys they worked with. Black Boys Read Too (BBRT) is a nonprofit trying to improve the literacy rates of students, with a special focus on black boys, by bringing books to the kids.

Ruqayyah and Jelicia launched BBRT on Read Across America Day 2022. Besides being a natural day to start a reading program, they intentionally wanted the conversation to be about improving literacy in the community, avoiding the negativity now associated with Dr. Seuss.

Ruqayyah Simmons and Jelicia Jimenez

Their goals aren’t just to make books more available, but to offer books students can see themselves in. Schools claim to focus on using data to drive instruction, yet many districts ignore data that would make the biggest difference for students: offering books kids can relate to.

The programs and events offered by BBRT are well thought through: offering books and authors that understand the lives black youth lead, characters that look like them going through experiences they understand, and opportunities for kids to see men and others who look like them reading and enjoying books.

Barbershop Bookshelves was the starting point for BBRT. Barbershops are a central meeting place in black communities, and Ruqayyah and Jelicia had connections with a couple barbers who were interested. Twelve bookshelves were made by students at The Foundry Buffalo on Northampton Street, sponsored by EZ Loans Auto Sales of Buffalo.

Ruqayyah and Jelicia each put in $300 of their own money to purchase books. Since then, the shelves have been kept full through grants, donations, partnerships with sponsors, the bookstore Alice Ever After, and others. EZ Loans Auto Sales runs promotions to purchase books from BBRT’s wishlist, collects books from the community, and offers free storage for books and bookshelves.

Only two years new, BBRT has grown from 3 barbershops to more than 12, as well as new locations including community centers, children’s clinic waiting rooms, Boys and Girls Club locations, after school programs, and in one of Say Yes’ Little Scholar Program locations. Every quarter, bookshelves are rotated and updated with new books.

They offer Barbershop Book Clubs, bringing kids, families, and others, including barbers, together to read and discuss books–they’ve even had authors participate! Jelicia and Ruqayyah said book clubs have been a great way to be involved with participants in person, build relationships with barbers and families, and they seem to have helped retain participants. They want more community readers involved - people the kids can relate to showing a love of literature.

Black Boys Read Too also holds Literacy Pop Up Events in collaboration with local events and organizations, like a read-and-draw day when they worked with a muralist, giving kids an opportunity to do art and read. They’ve partnered with yogis, a local gym, a ninja warrior event, and many others. This has grown into them getting spots at festivals such as Beau Fleuve, and 716 CommUNITY Festival.

Short term goals for BBRT are to get the Barbershop Bookclubs going again and use them to build a Community Readers Program. This is a scaffolded approach to offer age/ability appropriate opportunities to read and discuss books with a reader from the community. They are always updating and rotating books, talking to local authors, making connections, building community relationships, and looking for new spots to place bookshelves. At this time, they don’t have enough bookshelves on the East side of Buffalo, so if you are a barber or know one on the East side, please reach out to blackboysreadtoo.org!

When asked what the BIG goal, the DREAM is, Ruqayyah and Jelicia say: Spread to other cities.

They both agreed the support from the Buffalo community has been fantastic. Ruqayyah said for her, one of the best things has been seeing her students and their families participating in their programs. Jelicia said most moving for her is seeing families return to Barbershop Bookclubs, sometimes bringing different family members with them.

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Reggie at Fade in Full // Ruqayyah at the 716 CommUNITY Festival // Amanda at Fade in Full

Fade In Full at 1068 Elmwood Avenue was one of the first barbershops to welcome the bookshelves and bookclubs into their shop. While owner Aaron was unavailable, barbers Amanda Palmieri and Reggie Williams were happy to talk about the programs. They agreed that they’re great programs and they see kids and families often take advantage of the books available in the shop.

“Kids look up to the people who cut their hair. It makes it cool to see barbers reading, not just teachers and parents.” - Amanda Palmieri

According to Reggie, the bookshelves are a great idea, because “Barbershops are known as community hubs. It’s a great way to make books available to kids so they can explore. Many don’t have lots of books around them. This program gets kids to come out of their shells and get comfortable trying to read. It is the definition of what community means.”

www.blackboysreadtoo.org // @blackboysreadtoo_bflo