TO SUCCEED YOU MUST READ
Many of you probably remember the classic movie Akeelah and the Bee, starring Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett, and Lawrence Fishburne. Akeelah’s journey as an 11-year-old African American girl who wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee was empowering and inspiring. And apparently life imitated art when, in 2021, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde from Louisiana became the first African American to win the Bee.
In the spirit of this heartwarming and powerful film, I had the honor of a conversation with Albert (A.J.) Briscoe, founder of To Succeed You Must Read. Based in north Minneapolis, this organization was born out of a desire to promote, encourage, and increase literacy through its programs and partnerships in the community.
Its vision is clear: “To impact the lives of our young people by encouraging them to read.” As a wordsmith whose love of reading began at a young age, encouraged by the example set by my father, this strongly resonated with me, as did the fact that, as Briscoe states, “strong leaders grow from strong readers.” I give a hat tip to Briscoe as another advocate for literacy, addressing the matter by taking action and the positive steps to increase it.
Getting back to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Briscoe pointed out the problematic number of Minnesota schools that aren’t registered to participate in the spelling bee, including schools in our community, and he encourages us to support our local schools by contributing to the hosting, funding, and registration of this program.
Please contact TSYMR at (763) 777-0362 or the website www.tsymr.org for further information on the program and registration for the 2025 National Spelling Bee.
Thank you, A.J., for your unwavering support of our future leaders. Let us do the same!
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
