By J.A. Jones, Staff Writer
ST. PETE – The Competitive Readers Coalition (CRC), formerly The Barbershop Book Club, has been on the road spreading the message of the importance of literacy, and on Saturday, December 14 from 2 pm – 5 pm will host a national children’s author to bring that message back home to St. Pete.
Antonio Brown, founder of the CRC and owner of Central Station Barbershop & Grooming, located at 2325 Central Ave. in St. Pete, has been working to spread the importance of literacy for Black youth since 2016, formerly incorporating as the Barbershop Book Club in 2021.
This year has seen a name change, but Brown is still taking on the mission to improve literacy scores for Black children, with a focus on boys.
Brown was recently invited to share about his work nationally on the Jennifer Hudson show, where he spoke about the mission of CRC – which, as its website states, is “not just cutting hair,” but is also “curating destinies.”
“The reading levels in our community are failing,” Brown acknowledged on the show, noting that the literacy numbers in St. Pete are under 27% of youth reading on grade level — while nationwide numbers are poor also at under 32% at reading level. Brown said that his project was a way to “fight the literacy crisis every day.”
He also shared with Hudson that his son was his inspiration for the project. “My son was my first guinea pig; after I got joint custody of him, I really honed in on reading at home and reading to him, and it has helped him become a success in life.” He added that he and his son are now passing on the love of reading to Brown’s two-year-old granddaughter.
Brown also noted that he discussed the school-to-prison pipeline with his son, and its impact on Black youth. “A lot of prisons are built off of fourth-grade reading levels — so this is another reason we decided to start this program in a barbershop, which has been a cornerstone in our community.”
The bigger picture is definitely at the front of the master barber-turned-literacy leader’s mind; along with his work distributing books and free haircuts to kids, partnering with dozens of organizations, businesses, and like-minded literacy advocates, he’s continuing to build bridges outside of the area with hopes of inspiring families and youth in the area.
Ty Allan Jackson
This month CRC is bringing the nationally award-winning children’s author of “Danny Dollar” Ty Allan Jackson for a presentation and book signing on December 14 at the historic Royal Theater on the Deuces.
Brown relayed that Jackson reached out to him after seeing a news interview, and suggested they do an event together since he was coming into the area. Brown immediately agreed, excited about the opportunity to share the “Danny Dollar” author with the community.
“I think his book is excellent. I’ve actually purchased the book — prior to actually meeting him or knowing anything about him personally — for our students in our program, so some of the kids already have his book. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for them to meet a great author in person.”
The presentation is from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with all children who attend receiving a free book. While admission is free, there is a registration limit, so you are encouraged to reserve a slot at https://www.crcbooks.org/event-details/danny-dollar-presentation-book-signing-with-ty-allan-jackson.
To learn more about The Competitive Readers Coalition, visit https://www.crcbooks.org.