Read-in sparks dialogue on race, identity during Black History Month
For the second year in a row, the Utah State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted the national African American Read-In, bringing students and faculty together for meaningful discussion and exposure to African American authors during Black History Month.
The book for this year’s read-in was “Go Tell it On The Mountain” by James Baldwin, sparking conversations about race, identity and belonging organizers hope will continue long after the final page is turned.
Cree Taylor is a senior lecturer in the USU English Department, as well as the associate dean for inclusive excellence and belonging in CHaSS.
“Everybody can come and participate,” Taylor said. “Everyone who signs up can get a free copy of this book. Even though it has that title ‘African American Read-In,’ that doesn’t mean you have to fit that hyphenation to read the books and engage in the conversations.”
The National Council of Teachers of English has promoted the effort for decades, first establishing the event in 1990 to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month.
“What we get to do is file — they call it a report card, and the report card says that we participated. We say how many people participated in what we did, and then it goes on this national log of ‘Look at all of the entities and people who participated in the read-in,’” Taylor said.
Taylor said USU has not participated in the read-in since 2003. A proposal was written to the dean, and departments within CHaSS collaborated to make it possible.
“The English Department helped fund the snacks, and then the Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research bought everybody copies of the book,” Taylor said.
Taylor emphasized the significance of the read-in occurring during Black History Month and how it gives people a chance to focus on something not normally focused on.
“The tapestry of the United States in particular is so vast — so diverse,” Taylor said. “There are so many different cultures and ethnicities and identities represented here that it can be hard to meet the demands of ‘Actually, you should be teaching this from every single perspective involved.’”
The read-in created a space for students and faculty to thoughtfully discuss African American literature — a space Taylor believes is essential to creating a feeling of belonging at USU.
“There’s space for you and the people that are here,” Taylor said. “We’re complying with everything we need to comply with really well and are going to keep doing whatever it takes to help our students, faculty and staff know that this is their campus too.”
Adena Rivera-Dundas is an assistant professor of African American literature in the Department of English. Taylor and Rivera-Dundas worked together to organize the read-in.
Rivera-Dundas decided on “Go Tell it on The Mountain” because of its historical significance as a foundational text of the African American canon.
“It’s written in the ‘50s and takes place in the ‘30s and has a lot to say about the relationship between race, gender, sexuality and religion in a way that can be both educational and also relatable to the folks at USU,” Rivera-Dundas said.
Rivera-Dundas was pleased with the level of participation this year. She said there was a large turnout, and her hope is the popularity and participation will grow as the read-in reoccurs through the years.
“It’s important to acknowledge the history of race relationships in a predominantly white institution such as USU,” Rivera-Dundas said. “Taking the time to read a book that is about African American experience in a place that is predominantly white feels really necessary if the college genuinely wants to be inclusive.”
Additionally, Rivera-Dundas underlined the importance of having student-to-faculty discussion in alternate settings to promote learning and connection.
“Integration of people at different stages in the university and having stuff that includes staff is so important and doesn’t happen that much,” Rivera-Dundas said. “Having that kind of cross and also to have students and faculty be in a space and conversation where they’re on equal footing can be really powerful, too.”
The ultimate goal of the read-in, for both Taylor and Rivera-Dundas, was to create a space for learning and discussion and to expose participants to African American literature and writers they may not have come across otherwise.
“My ideal would be to have some kind of reading group like this happen all the time — a reading group that is dedicated to reading Black writers,” Rivera-Dundas said. “Not something that we only do one month a year, but it’s something that’s constantly ongoing.”