To celebrate Black History Month, students at Port Huron Area Schools will be reading books by African American authors this weekend.

The National African American Read In is held each year to celebrate works by Black authors during Black History Month. The event will involve students from Port Huron’s schools reading books by Black authors.

The event will be Saturday, Feb. 22, at Cleveland Elementary School starting at 10 a.m. featuring students between second and 12th grade. The event is free to all attendees.

Author Shayla Griffin will appear as a guest. Griffin will share her new book, “Together: A First Book About Race for Awesome Kids,” which is set to be released on March 1.

What is the National African American Read In?

The Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English established the idea of read-ins during Black History Month in the 1980s to focus on literature and literacy among Black Americans.

“Literacy is the root of education,” said Kevin Watkins, president of the Port Huron Branch of the NAACP. “You have to learn to read before you can be educated.”

Watkins said in his adulthood he was inspired by books by Spike Lee, a man famous for his movies but who also authored several books, including “Please Baby, Please,” a children’s book Lee co-authored with his wife Tonya about raising an infant.

Johnathan Hogan  |  Port Huron Times Herald