Building Spaces for Black Men Readers

By Albert A. Smith 

Systemically there is much that can be done to promote the reading habits of Black men at SIUE. I feel that an impactful start would be creating and upholding a space for Black men to read. While the Lovejoy Library is a space that warrants a place to study for SIUE’s general student populace, it doesn’t have much to incentivize students to stay around and engage with new literature.

The space would need to be a place that is in proximity to the rest of campus and has plenty of reading options. Preferably, it would also be in a space where Black men are already at/going. SIUE has some great initiatives/curriculum in place already that have garnered widespread support and interest. The introductory courses offered by African American literary studies at SIUE would be examples of this, but these courses (like all courses) are only offered for one year.

SIUE introducing a Black man reading initiative that seeks to support reading habits following their first-semester course could be beneficial. This could keep students connected to the university and develop their reading habits throughout their time at SIUE. 

While the initiative could come in several ways (an organization, a check-in, etc.) having SIUE’s support at the administrative level would greatly contribute to expanding how Black men read and think about reading.

Related:

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture