CBBB Awards Enhancement Grant to PPGJ Founder, Dr. Artika Tyner

ST. PAUL, Minn. - June 16, 2022 - PRLog -- Planting People Growing Justice (PPGJ) founder, Dr. Artika Tyner, has been awarded a 2022 Enhancement Grant from the Coalition to Back Black Businesses (CBBB). PPGJ is a Black woman-owned social enterprise with the goal of eradicating the national reading crisis that disproportionately impacts Black children.

"The initial 2021 grant has supported the expansion of business marketing efforts," said Tyner. "We updated our website with new content and invested in SEO optimization, which increased our online traffic and presence. The grant allowed us to promote new product development."

"We created a new book series on STEM leadership in order to help equip our community for future career pathways and opportunities – a critically important investment since the Black community is underrepresented in STEM," continued Tyner. "The grant also allowed us to increase our inventory by purchasing new book titles, which offered our customers a greater range of products."

PPGJ has achieved renown for publishing, promoting, and distributing books that encourage and empower Black children to read. The PPGJ library (https://www.ppgjbooks.com/) has achieved recognition and many of the publications within the library have won highly-coveted literary awards.

Students that haven't learned to read by grade 4 are four times more likely to drop out of school. PPGJ's Leaders are Readers program provides youth with positive messaging and relatable characters that are proven to increase literacy and aid in addressing systemic inequities associated with illiteracy.

The 2022 Enhancement Grant from the Coalition to Back Black Businesses will help PPGJ continue to increase its presence, reach, and impact within the community. PPGJ will increase distribution and double the number of retail partnerships. PPGJ will also develop e-books and audiobooks for the full library.

PPGJ is committed to providing books that encourage Black children to enjoy reading, improve literacy, and inspire youth to reach for their dreams.