Black Girl Picnic will celebrate its fifth annual year of Black sisterhood with a new literacy campaign.
The organization will return to Belle Isle Park Aug. 10 to deepen its community of Black womanhood. Additionally, it will champion a new cause of youth literacy by supplying 1,000 books to Black girls.
Founded in 2021 by Torie Anderson-Lloyd, the first Black Girl Picnic emerged after Anderson-Lloyd craved a connection to her community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. What started with 60 dedicated women showing up at Belle Isle has grown across the nation.
This year, Black Girl Picnic hopes to widen its impact through its “1,000 Books for Black Girls” literacy campaign. Local and national sponsors, such as The Skillman Foundation, First Book, and General Motors, have already contributed to the work, helping to get the nonprofit to reach over half of its goal.
With over 600 books ready to hand out, their donation list also
features works by acclaimed Black women novelists. From “All About Love” by bell hooks to “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi, Black girls will have the opportunity to read these modern classics.Illiteracy remains a growing problem across the United States, especially for Black youth. According to Edtrust, a 2023 report by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) confirmed that only 17% of Black students could read proficiently by the fourth grade. These concerns have prompted community organizations like Black Girl Picnic to take action.
Anderson-Lloyd, a former Detroit public school
teacher, has witnessed this setback firsthand. Through her organization, she hopes to promote Black youth literacy through this campaign. The initiative also seeks to affirm Black girls and women through books that represent that identity.The books will showcase Black girls and women as the heroes of their own story, helping this demographic see and celebrate themselves in literature. As for the picnic, the party will kick off Aug. 9, with tickets available now. Those who wish to donate to its ongoing philanthropic event can do so via Amazon or the donation link
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