Driving forces behind the Black Male Emergent Readers literacy program (from left) Richmond Police Officer Jerry L. Scott Jr.; program founder Meldon Jenkins-Jones, law librarian for Richmond Public Law Library; and Diane Wilmore, community service manager for Richmond’s North Avenue Library (Photo by Bonnie Newman Davis)
Meldon Jenkins-Jones’ grandson, now 19, struggled to read while growing up. He was “kept back a year in school despite being from a well-educated family,” says Jenkins-Jones, the law librarian for Richmond Public Law Library.
While her grandson eventually received help and recently graduated from high school, that didn’t ease Jenkins-Jones’ worries about other minority male youths whose families are unable to help them overcome reading difficulties. Her concern led her to create the Black Male Emergent Readers (BMER) literacy program at the Richmond Public Library.
Reading disabilities contribute to many minority male youth failing to graduate from middle and high school, and Jenkins-Jones says that inadequate education and the inability to find employment means many of these young people wind up joining gangs, committing crimes or going to prison.
During the 2012-13 school year, the national graduation rate was 59 percent for black males, 65 percent for Latino males, and 80 percent for white males, according to the Schott Foundation for Public Education, which supports equitable funding and policy changes to eliminate disparities in public education.
Among the BMER program’s components to address the literacy gap are book clubs, empowerment workshops that use hip-hop culture as an education tool, and an initiative called Success for Teens, which focuses on critical-thinking skills and how to overcome obstacles and challenges.
A 2016 BMER conference featured several African-American male authors who live in Virginia. Also among the panelists was Richmonder Clarence McGill, a coach, mentor and former official with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, who was among those profiled in David Marc’s “Leveling the Playing Field: The Story of the Syracuse 8.” McGill was one of eight black college football players who boycotted the 1970 football season at Syracuse University, seeking racial equality on and off the field. Their demands included access to the same academic tutoring made available to their white teammates and racial integration of the coaching staff, which had been all white since 1898.
Such books are instrumental in motivating young black males to read while also increasing their self-esteem, says Jenkins-Jones. Her own motivation for developing BMER is based on research by Alfred W. Tatum, dean of the College of Education and director of the Reading Clinic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Tatum’s research shows that “enabling” texts and writing play a strong role in advancing literacy development among African-American adolescent males. Examples of enabling texts include “Notes of a Native Son,” by James Baldwin, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” by Alex Haley, “Invisible Man,” by Ralph Ellison and “Crossover” by Kwame Alexander.
Such works foster healthy psyches among young black males, present an awareness of the real world and show the collective struggle of African-Americans, according to Tatum. The goal is to get youth to read more, communicate more effectively, and develop a better self-image and positive relationships.
Jenkins-Jones took Tatum’s work a step further. After creating BMER, with input from librarians at Richmond’s nine public library branches, she developed BMER Book Kits for use by nonprofit and community organizations and businesses. The 12 kits (organized into portable backpacks) are available for library cardholders and contain empowering books, activities, and a list of resources that develop reading, writing, and critical thinking skills in content areas such as art, civics, dance, history, music and poetry.
Diane Wilmore, community services manager for Richmond’s North Avenue Library, has been the impetus behind many BMER programs and activities, says Jenkins-Jones. In addition to hosting programs at the North Side branch, Wilmore has led field trips for BMER participants to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the former Virginia Aviation Museum.
The number of BMER participants fluctuates, but typically about eight students come to the library once a week from the surrounding community and neighborhood school, says Wilmore. Reading programs generally last from six to eight weeks during the school year.
Arriving in Richmond from Cleveland, Ohio, in 2014, Wilmore says she was “all in” for introducing BMER at the North Avenue Library. Support from the Richmond Public Library Foundation has provided funding for some BMER programming, and BMER also has partnered with local organizations such as the YMCA, the Richmond Boys Club and ART 180.
Richmond Police Officer Jerry L. Scott Jr. routinely facilitates BMER sessions covering critical thinking skills, life skills and how to avoid negative interactions with police. Scott says that when he questions young black males about their reactions when they see the police approaching, they frequently respond, “We run.”
“Often when kids interact with police, their emotions go from 1 to 50 in a matter of seconds,” says Scott. “I encourage them to take a deep breath and calm their emotions.”
Jenkins-Jones believes that, with more volunteers, BMER will continue to grow and become a model for other cities.
“This program is transferable and will benefit the entire society — not only African-American males, but Latinos, Native Americans and boys in general.”
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