Promoting reading in barber shops

The barber shop in Ypsilanti, not far from the struggling city of Detroit, features a selection of books about African-Americans and fiction featuring African-American characters. There’s a junior biography of US President Barack Obama and picture books like Chocolate Me! All the books feature positive images of black children doing a variety of jobs and living a variety of experiences. Boys choose from about 100 books kept in the barber shop’s makeshift library.

Needless to say, I smiled the entire time I read this story. What an unbelievably innovative way to promote reading and build a sense of pride in reading. Never in a million years would I have expected a story about a barber shop that promotes reading, but then why not? Reading should not be confined to school or home. Reading should take place anywhere, anytime.

This Michigan-based barber shop shows boys that they can discover the wonderful world of books anywhere. It demonstrates that reading should be part of every child’s life and it is a cool activity for boys to do.

Most importantly, this barber shop has negated the idea of the single story that Nigerian author Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie addressed in her famous TED talk.

(Adichie spoke about cultures — or subcultures — that don’t have relevant literature that reflects their lives and the setting they live in).

Because of this barber shop, black children in Ypsilanti know that there is African-American literature for them to explore. You can bet these children are getting more than a haircut and a book to read. They’re getting powerful, positive reinforcement, a knowledge of their culture and a boost in their self-confidence. Just imagine the reluctant reader who goes in there and discovers everyone around him reading.

Of course parents and teachers have noticed this barber shop and praised its efforts in encouraging reading. Parents and teachers need all the help they can get in encouraging boys to read. They know that boys who read stand a better chance of succeeding in life because they can work through the emotional turmoil in their lives.

Reading does much more than develop skills. It gives hope and a sense of accomplishment. It opens up other worlds and closes borders.

So, I’m challenging barber shops in Trinidad and Tobago to follow suit. The barber in this story, Ryan Griffin, says he didn’t start this reading programme. He got the idea from reading about barber shops in Columbus, Ohio and Dubuque, Iowa, that had the same reading programme, so let’s build a network of reading barber shops.

I am challenging businesses here to find ways to support and promote reading for children. Buy books for school libraries. Organise a reading programme for children in your own business. Think about it, and see what creative ways you can come up with to promote reading because reading makes the world a better place.

Here is the link for reading more about the barber shop that promotes reading. The pictures are priceless: http://www.huffingtonpost.

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