New additions to programming, including “Hometown Hero” storytimes featuring Black leaders of the Dayton area, will kick off this year.
“The impetus of the program is just cultivating a love of reading and literature amongst Black boys and Black men,” said Karlos Marshall, the director of equity, diversity and inclusion at Dayton Metro Library.
Additional representation of Black men in literary spaces is in tremendous need, Marshall said. Research shows that less than 1% of people who hold Master’s degrees in library sciences identify as being Black men.
“We’re really trying to challenge perceptions or even stereotypes on what it means to be a reader,” he said. “For a lot of kids in our community, this may be their first experience or exposure to having a Black man read to them.”
The Hometown Hero storytime events are slated to launch in April and will take place on the first Monday of every month at the library’s main branch in downtown Dayton.
Books at the storytimes under the Reading Railroad initiative will include a lineup of stories with Black protagonists living daily life: whether it’s learning to tie their shoes, attending their first day of elementary school or having a fun day at the park.
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Marshall said that Dayton Metro Library has worked to diversify its collection of books and other materials over the years. Part of this effort centers on making sure shelves have books that are reflective of the community.
“People can see themselves in the stories that we have to offer on our shelves. And that includes Black boys and Black men,” he said.
Library officials will also launch a “250 Challenge”: Dayton Metro’s branches are seeking 250 Black men who are willing to read at a future storytime event across all of the library’s branches or volunteer in the community in other ways.
“Libraries are the incubator of imagination, information and innovation,” Marshall said. “It’s truly incredible, the power of literature: to be able to reflect on where you currently are, to be able to go to places that are unimaginable and where you can’t physically go in the present moment.”
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