100 Black Men of Austin expands children's program with help of Samsung Austin Semiconductor donation

AUSTIN – Giving children of color the gift of reading—while making it fun—is something Karl Spencer and his organization 100 Black Men of Austin, is doing with their Cultural Competency program. The organization's goal is to provide multicultural/diverse books to students and teachers so they can see themselves on the pages. In honor of Black History Month, Samsung Austin Semiconductor donated $5,000 to help the group reach even more children. With Samsung Austin Semiconductor's donation, the organization was able to bring in Chris Singleton—a Black author who wrote two children's books —to do a book signing and read to students. One of Singleton's books is a tribute to his mother, who was killed in the Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, S.C. in 2015. "We purchased 700 of his books and we selected schools in Del Valle, Pflugerville and east Austin for him to go do read-alongs," Spencer said. "We gave all the kids a copy of his book to take home. We also donated 100 books to the Austin Public Library."

"On East 11th Street, we have it painted in big, bold letters so no one can mistake it: 'Black Artists Matter.' That goes for Black writers too. Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Ralph Ellison are among the pantheon, but there are countless other great Black writers, and I'm so proud of this collaboration between 100 Black Men and Samsung that is giving our kids more exposure to these vital voices," Austin City Councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison said. Spencer said not only is it a "blessing to give back," but being able to see the children's reaction triggered an emotional response. "To see the kids get excited… to see someone that looks like them in the book, but then also see someone as young as them, telling them he wrote the book and he's reading it to them, I was in tears." When asked what book from his childhood had a lasting impact, Spencer said it was W.E.B. Dubois' work. "As a kid reading Dubois, I didn't understand, but my dad told me 'You need to read this book,'" Spencer added. The organization is hoping to expand their Cultural Competency initiative with more events leading into the summer. To learn more about the organization, click here.