Waiting for a haircut isn’t exactly fun for kids. But Alvin Irby is changing that in New York City barbershops.
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“In an increasingly global and knowledge-based economy, poor reading skills among Black boys today will produce millions of Black men who are unprepared to compete in the workforce of tomorrow,” says Alvin Irby, founder of Barbershop Books.
Irby created Barbershop Books to instill a love of reading and improve literacy rates among young Black boys — and to leverage “the cultural significance of barbershops in Black communities to connect Black men to Black boys’ early reading experiences.”
Why barbershops? Irby says, “Barbershops represent a major cultural center for many Black males. They are one of the few remaining places where African American males from different income levels interact.”
“Many Black boys don’t identify as readers, because it’s not a part of their immediate culture or the books to which they are exposed. There are literally millions of Black boys who never see a Black male reading outside of school. If our identities are merely an amalgamation of all the things that we see and experience, then it shouldn’t be surprising that so many Black boys don’t view themselves as readers and are not able to dream beyond the limited confines of the Black male NBA superstar or the rich rapper narratives.”
Prior to founding Barbershop Books, Irby was a public school teacher in Harlem and the Bronx and served as Education Director at the Boys’ Club of New York in East Harlem. He holds an M.S. degree in General Childhood Education and an M.P.A. degree in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy.
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Photo: Reading Holiday Project