Thee Black Book Club
Empower. Enlighten. Liberate.
"Black People Don't Read"
Proving Them Wrong
Do Black People Really Not Read?
I did a little research on my own using Google and had a hard time finding statistics on just Black people. I did, however, come across an article that mentioned "the most likely person to read a book — in any format — is a black woman who's been to college." I also listed other statistics on reading below:
Women read more books than men.
Black and white people read more books than Hispanics. (The difference between black and white readers isn't large enough to be statistically significant.)
People who've been to college read more books than those who have not.
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Why Is Reading Important?
Here are some health benefits of reading.
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Why You Should Read Every Day​
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Stress Reduction.
Reading a book that mentally engages you and takes your mind off of the world around you helps to relax you and release tension.
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Memory Improvement.
Every new memory you create produces new synapses (brain pathways) and strengthens existing ones. This helps to assist in short-term memory.​
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Knowledge.
The more you read, the more knowledge you gain. The white man once wrote "if you want to hide something from a negro put it in a book." Let us not miss out on the infinite amount of knowledge we can gain through reading!
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Vocabulary Expansion.
The more you read, the more words you gain exposure to. Expand your everyday vocabulary simply by reading more!
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Mental Stimulation.
Staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress or prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Treat your brain like a muscle and exercise it by reading!
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Check out "History Lesson" below!
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HISTORY LESSON
Let's just jump into this time machine and take it back to the days of slavery.
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One, it was a crime for Black people (slaves) to read books, magazines, articles, and ANYTHING containing letters and words. During the time of slavery in America, anti-literacy laws were created to restrict the education of slaves. These laws prohibited assembling or teaching slaves to read or write. The punishment for teaching and learning included fines, imprisonment, flogging (beatings or whippings), and even death. In North Carolina, slave masters understood that physical coercion alone would not satisfy their goal of socially controlling the slaves. They understood the fact that knowledge was power, therefore virtually all slave codes established in North Carolina and the United States set restrictions making it illegal to teach slaves to read or write.
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Two, let's now talk about the (mis)education of Black children. Schools in low-income urban neighborhoods lack the proper resources and funding to even begin to compete with predominately white schools. Black schools often lack access to books and education. Far too often, Black students (specifically males) are unnecessarily placed in special education classes, while the number of Black students who take honors and advanced courses remains significantly below that of other races. Why? Because the school system places Black students at the bottom of the "important" list. Without access to books, good teachers and other necessary resources, the Black child's ability to learn is diminished at a young age.
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Three, think about the "cycle" that has now been created. The cycle began with our great grandparents' inability to read due to anti-literacy laws. This then passes down to your grandparents who were unable to attend "white" schools and were taught by teachers with little to no education. This then passes down to your parents who, either due to lack of funding or due to the weeding out of Black students through standardized tests, were unable to attend college. Now, you have us. What will you do to break this cycle!? Will you now educate yourselves by reading, and then teach your children to love reading? I know I plan to do so! Break the cycle!
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Check out an Article Discussing a Letter Entitled "Black People Don't Read." This Letter Was Written by a White Man. Click the Link Below!