ORLANDO – The Delta Omicron Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® will collaborate with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida Levy-Hughes Branch for the 6th Annual African American Read-In on Friday, February 9, 2024, from 4 pm – 6 pm at the Levy-Hughes Clubhouse located at 712 W. Amelia St., Orlando. The sorority collected over 200 books that will be distributed to youth grades K-12.
This year’s theme is “African Americans and the Arts.” The event will feature read-in sessions, poetry, and songs spotlighting the rich history, and cultural contributions of African Americans. “Students will see pictures in books that look like them. This will help with confidence building and well-roundedness for children as they move forward in life” said Justina Bellamy-Harris, President of the Delta Omicron Omega Chapter.
Angela Hall, Chairman of the chapter’s Advocate for Social Justice Committee and 30-year librarian, expressed the importance of students receiving new books. “In the last year, we have seen an assault on and the removal of African American History in the middle school curriculum and AP African American History in high schools in the state of Florida. What better way to fight back than with books by, for, and about Black people?”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® was founded on the campus of Howard University in 1908 and is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women. The sorority continues to reign supreme in its mission of “Service to All Mankind.”