Read 2 Succeed and Christine W. Avery Learning Center Host Holiday Event

Read 2 Succeed Asheville/Buncombe (R2S) and Christine W. Avery Learning Center (CWA) welcomed celebrated Black children’s book authors Veronica Chapman and Jaha Avery as the featured guests.

The reading, booksigning, and Community Holiday Extravaganza took place on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at the Arthur R. Edington Center.

A social impact ideator, author, and founder of Boxxout Enterprises, and the creative force behind BlackBabyBooks.com and Black Children’s Book Week, Veronica Chapman is an alumna of Spelman College and Babson College. She has dedicated her career to designing solutions for social change. At the Dec. 7 event she shared her children’s book, King Khalid is Proud, with attending families.

R2S and CWA was also excited to welcome Jaha Avery, lawyer, thought leader, and author of the powerful book, I Heard: An American Journey. A proud Southerner with more than three centuries of family roots in North Carolina, the Asheville native studied constitutional and civil rights law at UNC Chapel Hill. Her book explores themes of heritage, oral history, and identity through a rich narrative inspired by her background in civil rights law and advocacy.

“This year’s Community Holiday Extravaganza was a truly fun event” said R2S Community Engagement Coordinator, Toshia Sitton, who led the planning of the event. “Not only were two incredible Black children’s book authors visiting and reading and signing their books with families, but there was a holiday carnival games, prizes, cookie decorating, meals from Blessed Soul Food and Cooking With Comedy, music, hot cocoa, face painting, and more—all at no cost to families. Plus, there was a BIPOC holiday market set up for folks to support local small businesses to do some holiday shopping.”

All families attending received free copies of both books along with curated comprehension guides and additional family reading resources from Read 2 Succeed.

Book Reviews

I Heard: An American Journey

This is a powerful and poetic picture book about Black history in the United States, from the shores of Africa through slavery to the civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements.

With stunning lyricism reminiscent of traditional African spirituals and today’s rhythm and flow of hip-hop, a teacher shares the history of being Black in the US, while continuing to march into present day—undeterred and proud to be Black. Author Jaha Nailah Avery shows you have to understand the past to shape the future, and knowing who you are gives you the strength to do just that.

King Khalid is Proud

There is power in the word PROUD.

King Khalid is a clever and courageous boy who loves to play video games, but his bedtime gets in the way. After his father reinforces the rules and makes him go to bed on time, King Khalid challenges himself to find a creative way around the rules so he has more time to play his games—even if he has to learn how to design his own video games! He signs up for a coding class with the ultimate goal of staying up late, but in the process he accomplishes something that ultimately makes everyone proud.

King Khalid is Proud makes children believe in themselves, and helps them develop the type of confidence that turns into rock-solid self-esteem. It is a gratifying feeling: After all, it always feels good when someone tells you that they are proud of you—but imagine just how empowering it is when you do something that makes you proud of yourself!

Veronica N. Chapman is an entrepreneur and author, having written and produced a motivational play for teens, Ancestors Inc., and published three books: The Advent of Planet Martyr: An Innovative Social Commentary, and the empowering Black children’s books I Know I Can! and King Khalid is Proud.

A graduate of Spelman College (BA in Spanish) and Babson College (MBA), Veronica commits her gifts and ideas to improving the world. To fulfill her commitment, she founded Boxxout Enterprises, where she designs creative solutions for social change.

Vendors

• Ebonie Phyllis Art
• DJ Big Wave
• Virtuous Music
• Jesse Cowan, Santa Claus
• Shaniqua Simuel, Mrs. Claus
• Blessed Soul Food
• Cooking With Comedy
• DJ Superman
• Simply Salads & Charcuterie Boards by Betty

Volunteers

• UNCA volleyball and swim/dive team
• HandsOn Network
• Junior League of Asheville
• R2S & CWA Volunteers

The event was presented by Read 2 Succeed and Christine W. Avery Learning Center with support from Sunstone Foundation, United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County, and Kimpton® Hotel Arras.

About Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe

Founded in 2009, Read 2 Succeed Asheville/Buncombe is an independent literacy non-profit dedicated to helping close the race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming. R2S programs reach 150 PreK – Elementary students and families in Asheville and Buncombe County each week. For more information, call (828) 337-5545, visit www.r2sasheville.org, or contact [email protected].