That is the startling scenario for one out of seven adults in the United States. Illiteracy is a concern for Dr. Sabrina A. Brinson, who advocates for learning reading skills early and reinforcing often.
But she is equally concerned about the plague of aliteracy — having the ability to read but lacking the desire and motivation.
Brinson founded nationwide program
Part of Brinson’s response to the problem of aliteracy was Boys Booked on Barbershops and Girls Booked on Beautyshops, which she established in 2004. These are programs now set up in neighborhoods and communities all around the United States. Professional organizations — currently more than 20 of them nationwide — partner with Brinson and locate a barbershop, beauty shop or other community location to establish a reading nook.
“Once you get into the chair, the barber may say: ‘Tell me about that book you were reading.’ So the children get to see adults interested in reading, and have some follow-up that engages them just a little more.”
Don’t clean out your garage to donate books to this great cause, though. Each book selection is carefully curated.
“It’s important for people of any culture to see positive reflections of themselves. But it’s also equally important for people to have views into the lives of others,” Brinson said.
With this in mind, she stays up-to-date with all the latest literature for children and tailors the reading nook recommendations to the specific shop’s needs based on the demographics and reading skills of its regular clientele.
Fighting the ‘I don’t want to read’ attitude
While these nooks could be in any community the professional organizations want to sponsor, they often show up in more diverse communities.
This fits right in with Brinson’s three main research focus areas: 1), diversity, multiculturalism and social justice with an emphasis in African-American studies; 2), culturally responsive literature; and 3), the social, emotional and moral development of children.
“When people refer to diversity and culture, we tend to have tunnel vision,” Brinson said. Instead of diversity being synonymous with race and culture, it’s also about gender, socioeconomic status, religion, language and so much more, according to Brinson.
One study Brinson conducted with teachers asked them to identify two books in their library that showcased multicultural and diverse characters as the main characters.

“Just two books — and they (the teachers in the study) couldn’t do it,” Brinson said. From that, she reasoned that the teachers were not incorporating diverse literature into their students’ studies, which could lead
diverse students to feel insignificant. “What it says to others — the ones who are represented in the story — it lulls them into a false sense of superiority,” Brinson said.
By offering high-quality books with well-written stories and mesmerizing illustrations about diverse characters, Brinson is fighting to win the battle against aliteracy.
“You can counter that lack of motivation, that ‘I don’t want to read,’ by giving the child something they’re interested in,” she said. “It could be based on their ethnic group. It could be gender-related. It could be based on different types of intelligence they have or just some of their interests. And now, ‘Wow! I’m really interested in reading this book.’ And, of course, if I’m interested, I’m going to be engaged longer.”
Leave a Reply