DNAinfo article, Total Equity Now's first-of-every-month Literacy Across Harlem Day Initiative.

TOTAL EQUITY NOW DECLARES FIRST DAY OF EACH MONTH "LITERACY ACROSS HARLEM DAY”

Harlemites Encouraged to Proudly, Publicly Carry Reading Materials All Day

August 27, 2012 -- Harlem, NY – Building on the success of the inaugural "Literacy Across Harlem March, Book Donation & Community Celebration” on July 21^st, which placed over 1,000 donated books into the hands and home libraries of Harlem families, Total Equity Now (TEN) is declaring September 1^st, and the first of every month thereafter, "Literacy Across Harlem Day."TEN asks all Harlemites, east to west, to carry reading materials outside of their bags the first day of each month as a simple yet powerful expression of their individual and collective identities as readers, writers, thinkers, and community members.

Harlemites are heirs to a rich literary legacy anchored by a long line of ingenious writers and voracious readers. However, glance at the hands of Harlem passers by on the average street and you will see mostly smart phones, designer bags and school bags, beverages, small children, and occasionally a combination of those items and more. Even avid readers’ books, magazines, newspapers, and e-readers are usually tucked away at the bottom of a bag or left at home. TEN envisions a day when all community members—children, senior citizens, and everyone in between—live literacy as an integral aspect of Harlem public life, as "Harlem” as great food and world-class entertainment.

Hand in hand with community members, TEN is working to build a critical mass of Harlem Literacy Ambassadors, organizations and individuals who sign on to participate in Literacy Across Harlem Daysand strengthen the village's culture of literacy. Literacy Across Harlem Days will also serve as vehicles to raise awareness about and connect some of the important literacy-related efforts and opportunities across the community.

To stay abreast of important Literacy Across Harlem Day updates and events, Harlemites are encouraged to "like” www.facebook.com/totalequitynow and "follow” www.twitter.com/totalequitynow.

About Total Equity Now

Total Equity Now (TEN) empowers Harlemites as active participants and decision makers in advancing educational excellence and equity across our village by facilitating education information sharing, community organizing, youth civic leadership development, and community-based policy research.