Read 2 Succeed Asheville/Buncombe (R2S) and Christine W. Avery Learning Center (CWA) welcomed celebrated Black children’s book authors Veronica Chapman and Jaha Avery as the featured guests.
The reading, booksigning, and Community Holiday Extravaganza took place on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Arthur R. Edington Center.
A social impact ideator, author, and founder of Boxxout Enterprises, and the creative force behind BlackBabyBooks.com and Black Children’s Book Week, Veronica Chapman is an alumna of Spelman College and Babson College. She has dedicated her career to designing solutions for social change. At the Dec. 7 event she shared her children’s book, King Khalid is Proud, with attending families.
R2S and CWA was also excited to welcome Jaha Avery, lawyer, thought leader, and author of the powerful book, I Heard: An American Journey. A proud Southerner with more than three centuries of family roots in North Carolina, the Asheville native studied constitutional and civil rights law at UNC Chapel Hill. Her book explores themes of heritage, oral history, and identity through a rich narrative inspired by her background in civil rights law and advocacy.
“This year’s Community Holiday Extravaganza was a truly fun event” said R2S Community Engagement Coordinator, Toshia Sitton, who led the planning of the event. “Not only were two incredible Black children’s book authors visiting and reading and signing their books with families, but there was a holiday carnival games, prizes, cookie decorating, meals from Blessed Soul Food and Cooking With Comedy, music, hot cocoa, face painting, and more—all at no cost to families. Plus, there was a BIPOC holiday market set up for folks to support local small businesses to do some holiday shopping.”
All families attending received free copies of both books along with curated comprehension guides…
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