Acclaimed Author and Advocate Levels the Playing Field in Reading for Children of Color amid the pandemic

DECATUR, GEORGIA, USA, December 9, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Acclaimed Author and Advocate Levels the Playing Field in Reading for Children of Color
Harmel Codi’s new series of children’s books focus on the joy of reading for an under-served community

ATLANTA—December 8, 2020—Today, Harmel Codi, the noted author and community advocate, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha announced her strategy to “level the playing field in reading” for children of color. With her new series of children's storybooks, which encourage parents, family, and extended family members to read to children from a very early age, Codi is putting the focus on the joy of reading for an under-served community. The first books in the series include, “Mommy Teach Me How to Count,” and “Daddy Teach Me How to Ride My Bike.”

“My goal is to make literacy a pillar of advocacy,” explained Codi. “Education and early childhood literacy are two significant areas of disparity for children of color. In my experience, problems in early literacy lead to much more serious problems later. Reading trouble leads to life trouble, as kids who struggle with reading tend to fail later in school and have difficulties finding work and meaningful lives.
That is why our call to action is to level the playing field for Black and Brown children so they can speak, read, and write at an equal level to their peers.”

As Codi noted, “If we open our eyes and look out on the streets—and into the back alleys—we can see the symptoms of educational neglect.” As a former juvenile court guardian ad litem and a volunteer juvenile representative, Codi has witnessed many children who were poorly served by the educational system ending up in criminal activities, detention, and prison. As she pointed out, most incarcerated individuals cannot read and have less than eighth-grade educations. Meanwhile, most states spend less than $6,500 per child yearly for education, but up to $35,000 annually to incarcerate juveniles and adults. “Illiteracy even kills you,” she added. “Death is the ultimate, tragic outcome of this deficient process.”

According to Codi, solving the root cause of the issue involves educating parents and caregivers. Her book series contributes to the success of this idea. To augment the impact of her books, Codi is publishing the first eleven titles of the book series to benefit Community Alliances and Improvements. The goal of the organization and the book series is to enable children to hold their own and one day be great candidates for college, graduate schools, and competitive careers. “This initiative begins with our recognizing that Black children born into low-income families are less likely to read fluently before sixth grade. I want to elevate them to meet and exceed their potential,” Codi shared.

The author and her non-profit organization partner with like-minded community organizations, which actively work together to empower the community. These organizations join with local community leaders, social workers, teachers, lawyers, and health professionals. Their overall common purpose is to save low-performing schools and guide students. Community Alliances gladly shares its curriculum that was created to be replicable and transportable. it uses kid-friendly language, entertaining topics, and illustrations for children to recognize themselves to make a big difference in wanting to learn.


To buy a book or the entire series visit https://communityalliances.net/shop/, amazon.com, or wherever books are sold.


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Jane Barnett
Community Alliance and Improvement
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