Alvin Irby, Barbershop Books

CNN Heroes 2023

After the pandemic, math and reading scores in the U.S. fell to levels not seen for decades, yet Black children have long lagged behind in literacy, with only 17% of Black 4th graders able to read proficiently. Alvin Irby is working to change that. A former first grade teacher, Irby believes that giving kids the opportunity and encouragement to read for fun is vitally important. Today, his program brings books somewhere that Black boys visit regularly: barbershops. Since 2013, his nonprofit, Barbershop Books, has distributed more than 50,000 books to more than 200 shops across the country – impacting more than 10,000 children a year.

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Watch CNN Hero Alvin Irby's video here.