Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole A. Johnson.
Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Nicole Johnson, and I am the owner of Baltimore Read Aloud. We promote and sell children’s and adult books via pop-up events in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, and a partnership with the Banneker Douglass Museum in Annapolis, MD.
I grew up going to the public library after school reading books and making friends with the librarians. Through high school and college, my appreciation for literature and writing helped me be a successful student. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until college that I read a book that centered my identity as a Black woman.
In college, I discovered J. California Cooper, Octavia Butler, and Audre Lorde. I grew to understand in a much deeper way the works of Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. I’ve been working my entire life to provide Black children with access to books and educational experiences that affirm their identity and culture. I want them to see themselves in books and to value learning at an early age.
After college, I spent many years introducing books with Black characters to Black children as part of the after-school and summer literacy programs I managed. I began my professional career as a site coordinator for the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School program supervising college students to deliver a culturally-based reading curriculum to over 200 children in East Oakland, CA.
As a new manager, I learned firsthand the social, academic, and economic challenges facing families and the organizations that serve them. This experience fueled my commitment to transform the policies and services impacting children and youth. It also elevated my interest in strengthening the capacity of youth and young adults to assume greater leadership in their community.
Books with diverse characters exist but can be hard to find at your local Barnes and Noble or independent bookstore. Not only are the experiences of Black people underrepresented on retail bookshelves but anyone who was not white, cis-gender, heterosexual, able-bodied, or from a Christian-based religion would have a hard time finding themselves in children’s literature. In 2020, only 30% of children’s books published featured racially diverse characters or experiences, and only 27% were written by authors of color.
I founded Baltimore Read-Aloud as a continuation of my career in youth development, as a way to center diverse books. I work to learn how books are produced, distributed, and promoted. There is a connection between low rates of literacy for Black and Brown children and the absence of their identity and culture in the literature they are required to read in school.
I have met entrepreneurs in other parts of the country who are bringing books to children and communities through book fairs, author and illustrator events, among other literacy-focused and family-focused activities.
As I promote and sell diverse books in Baltimore City and surrounding communities, I know Baltimore Read Aloud can serve as a platform to connect and leverage the idea and resources of a bookstore with the programming, advocacy, and community engagement often carried out by nonprofit organizations.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Educational equity and children’s literacy is my life’s work. Looking back there were times when program budgets were tight, hiring quality staff was difficult, and relationships with partners were complicated.
These obstacles were frustrating, but with time, money, or negotiation these issues could be resolved. With all of the barriers families face, the biggest challenge to my work has been systemic racism and neglect. Racism and neglect show up when neighborhoods are cut off from resources like transportation, employment, and quality schools.
Schools without libraries or librarians. Neighborhoods without community centers or decent housing. These challenges are more entrenched and require organizing and advocacy.
We’ve been impressed with Baltimore Read Aloud, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I want Baltimore Read Aloud to be more than a bookstore. I would like it to be a locus of commerce, advocacy, and community building to improve literacy outcomes for Black and Latinx children and youth in Baltimore City. In 2018, 17.5% of Hispanic/Latinx students and 12.3% of Black students met or exceeded expectations on the PARCC English Language Arts assessment, compared to 40% of white students. Undergirding these low literacy rates is a lack of access to books and reading material and an environment that equates literacy with testing.
The goal is to raise the profile of literature and literacy for all students in Baltimore City. I want all children and youth in the greater Baltimore region to embrace literature and literacy, a starting point for self-expression and advocacy. I have ideas to bring books, literature-focused events, and literacy workshops to schools and neighborhoods. I want to launch a mobile bookstore that travels the city, hosts reading in the park events, coordinates author and illustrator school visits, and convenes educators and other professionals to learn from each other and receive literacy resources.
I am most proud of the pop-ups I completed over the last year working part-time. It’s been difficult navigating the ups and downs of the pandemic, but with every pop-up, I meet another adult or child excited to see the selection of books I have to offer. In 2021, I reached over 400 customers and gained over 500 Instagram followers. I gave away approximately 200 books along the way. This is just the beginning.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
I have heard others describe my actions as risky, but I don’t know another way to be. It feels normal to me. When I left home at 18 to go 3,000 miles away for college. In college, I traveled to different cities for internships and job opportunities not really knowing anyone. Six years ago, I walked away from a full-time job to become a freelance consultant.
I wanted to have time to raise my kids without needing to request time off. I wanted to be my own boss, but I jumped headfirst into consulting. These don’t seem like risks when I think about the risks others take to put food on the table for their family or to get to school every day.
I’m at my best when I set my fears aside and do the thing that challenges me. If I wallow in my apprehensions too long, fear takes hold and I feel paralyzed. The risks I have taken have benefited me, and I hope they benefit others.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@baltimorereadaloud.shop
- Website: https://www.baltimorereadaloud.shop/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baltimorereadaloud/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baltimorereadaloud/
