David Johns, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, will join best-selling author Byron Garrett for a Read Where You Are event on Monday, Sept. 28, at Browne Education Campus in Washington, D.C. Before introducing Garrett, Johns will give remarks. He will remind students of the value of reading and will highlight the Administration's investment in educational excellence for all students, including AfricanAmericans. He also will discuss literacy in the African-American community and encourage students to find books they love and to share them with their families and communities as their way of addressing intergenerational literacy.
Garrett will read aloud from his newest book, There is Greatness on the Inside. He also is the author of the best-selling book The ABCs of Life. Previously, Byron was a K-8 school principal and a former CEO of the National Parent Teacher Association. After the reading, there will be a question-and-answer session with students, followed by a media availability and classroom visits.
The White House and the U.S. Department of Education kicked off Read Where You Are with a day of action this past July to draw attention to the importance of summer reading. Research shows that young people who do not read over the summer fall behind their peers. This event builds on the momentum and importance of reading throughout the school year. Addressing the need for all students to read over the summer and on grade level throughout the year is a key recommendation in the My Brother's Keeper Task Force report, and an issue the Task Force has been working to address through executive actions and public outreach events.