PPGJLI Celebrates NAAPID with a Book Giveaway at Maxfield Elementary School

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Feb. 5, 2022 - PRLog -- Planting People Growing Justice™ Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) will be celebrating National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) with a book giveaway at Maxfield Elementary School. The non-profit organization is partnering with D.E.L.O.R.E.S. Works and the Minnesota Twins professional baseball team.

"We're promoting reading, diversity, and sponsoring the giveaway at Maxfield Elementary School to address Minnesota's alarming reading crisis. We recognize leaders are readers therefore we are committed to inspiring and equipping the next generation of leaders," said Dr. Artika Tyner, founder of PPGJLI.

D.E.L.O.R.E.S. Works is committed to closing the achievement gap for students of color by pairing retired teachers with a track record of success in urban environments with students who need them. The Minnesota Twins honored PPGJLI and its founder in 2021 as part of its Learning Through Baseball Education Hero program. Minnesota Twins and PPGJLI have launched a writing competition to increase both reading comprehension and foster leadership development.

The NAAPID event is traditionally held on the second Monday each year during Black History Month which will take place on Feb. 14 in 2022. First celebrated on a larger scale in 1997, it's a day for parents to visit their child's school and see what their day is like.

NAAPID's goals are to address achievement gaps for African-American children and provide strategies that allow every student to take advantage of the educational process. NAAPID is recognized nationally, with each school hosting their own celebration of Black History and fostering community engagement.

Only 11.9 percent of children's books contain Black main characters. PPGJLI promotes and distributes books that are representational. When children read culturally relevant books, reading comprehension improves. Cultural preservation creates unity and fosters ideas, a concept that was well-understood by NAAPID founder, Joseph Dulin.

The idea of NAAPID was first conceived in 1995 by Dulin, an Ann Arbor Michigan School principal. His reputation as a no-nonsense educator was well-known and the film "Bridging the Gap" was made about his life.

The book giveaway sponsored by PPGJLI at Maxfield Elementary School (https://www.spps.org/Page/3231) is one of the many ways in which PPGJLI is promoting reading, literacy, and helping to inspire the leaders of the future. PPGJLI has donated 8,000 books and reached over 5,000 students with its school visits.