Black Women in Education
These ‘SweetPeas’ Are Trying To Reverse The Black Literacy Trend, One Book At A Time
Written By Bruce C.T. Wright via https://newsone.com
“I would call it sort of a call to action or a movement to inspire other girls of color to read.”
This revolution will be televised – or at least streamed online.
And make no mistake: When you’re dealing with a group of pre-teen Black girls encouraging each other to read and write stories that portray positive images of people who look like themselves, it is nothing short of a revolution.
And that’s where the SweetPeas come in.
Started in earnest as a labor of love by a career educator and new author, the growing literary collective of young Black and brown readers and authors who take to Instagram to review books for and about people of color has accomplished its mission, and then some. Oh, and did we mention they are absolutely adorable?
“SweetPeas is actually a book series that I’m working on right now,” Lakita Wilson, a teacher in Maryland who has taught on both the elementary and collegiate levels, told NewsOne recently. “It’s pretty much all about girl power and representing girls of color in a really positive light.”
Wilson, 35, who also owns a child care center, teaches at a local community college and recently won a coveted award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, said she has “always been heavily involved in education in my community.”
But that professional involvement turned personal as her daughter started getting older and coming across fewer books…
Read More: These ‘SweetPeas’ Are Trying To Reverse The Black Literacy Trend, One Book At A Time
