With low literacy rates still a problem in black communities, Barbershop Books, the debut program from Harlem’s Reading Holiday Project, Inc., is Alvin Irby’s attempt to even the playing field. Though the project began in NYC, its founder Irby is taking it to a national level. By creating child-friendly reading spaces in barber shops, involving male role models in boys’ early reading experiences, and connecting literacy to a community male-centered space, it’s a movement to help young boys of color become readers — and be proud of it. #reading #readers #community #library #barbershops alvinirby