NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – The 25th annual celebration of National African American Read-In is on Sunday, Feb. 2. Tennessee State University will join schools, churches, libraries, book clubs and professional organizations across the country and the world to participate in programs marking the event.
The event at TSU will be held in the Humanities Building Room 113, from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Endorsed by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, the goal of the event is to celebrate African and African-American literary art, and to make literacy a traditional part of Black History Month activities.
Organizers are inviting the public and asking teachers and professors to find “creative ways” to inspire their students to attend the one-hour read-in.
The 2014 African American Read-In events at TSU are sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts.
To ensure participants do not miss out on the Super Bowl game on Sunday, organizers guarantee that the event will end “long before” kick-off time.
According to organizers, the University has participated in the read-in every year. Last year more than 40 students took part in the event, which is held every February during Black History Month to urge organizations and citizens to make literacy a significant part of the month, by hosting and coordinating read-ins in their communities.
During the past 24 years, more than a million readers of all ethnic groups from the United States, the West Indies, African countries and more have participated in the event. The goal is to make the celebration of African American literacy a traditional part of Black History Month activities.
The Read-In is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Luke Powers at 615.963.5716 or lpowers@tnstate.edu.
Department of Media Relations
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With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.