The National African American Read-In is the nation’s first and oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. The New Albany-Floyd County Public Library and the Carnegie Center for Art and History (a department of the Library) together present an African American Read-In on Saturday, February 24, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:30 PM at the Carnegie Center. In 2017, the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library was one of only five organizations in the state of Indiana to have a read-in event affiliated with the National African American Read-In.

We are inviting middle school, high school, and college students to read aloud a selection by an African American author during this event, and members of the public are invited to read aloud as well. Selections should be no more than a few minutes long and need not be memorized. Selections should be kept family-appropriate, as this is an all-ages event. If you are interested in reading aloud during the African American Read-In, please contact Al Gorman at the Carnegie Center at 812-944-7336 or agorman@carnegiecenter.org.

A list of suggested books for the African American Read-In is available at www.nafclibrary.org/AARI. All titles are available at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library. For more information on the National African American Read-In and its history, please visit www.ncte.org/aari.