It’s easy for black children growing up in America to name their favorite athlete, pop star and actor but what about their favorite author? All children grow up aspiring to be like the person they idolize, but if children do not see themselves reflected in literature how can they make that connection? Could the secret to getting children to read more often exist in the world of celebrity and pop culture? In this talk children’s book author Ty Allan Jackson makes the connection between illiteracy and the lack of diversity in children’s books and authors. He argues that the key to increasing literacy rates could be found in treating authors like the rock stars that they are.
Author + Founder of Big Head Books This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx