We are in a national reading crisis, and Kai Cenats’ “reading journey” has the potential to inspire Black boys to engage in the reading process for personal and intellectual development.
Reading is a powerful process that helps individuals become better. Sadly, some Black boys either are unable or do not want to engage in the process. When they can’t or won’t, it limits how they engage in life. As a 43-year-old father, educator, and co-founder of a bookstore, I am always talking with young people about the importance of reading.
Sometimes, I wish a celebrity from this era would tell this generation of kids the importance of reading. The influencers for Black boys when I was a kid were athletes and rappers. Allen Iverson had us wearing braids, Kriss Kross had us wearing backward clothes, and Jay-Z had us wanting to buy those expensive Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys.
This generation’s celebrities, like Kai Cenat, can inspire Black boys to begin their own transformative reading journey.
A Streaming Superstar’s Personal Reading Journey
When Kai was frustrated with being dismissed during serious discussions, he turned to reading. Reading provides individuals with the knowledge, and when they make meaning out of it, it can be used in constructive dialogues about important issues. Kai’s engagement with the reading process gives him the knowledge as the foundation to fully engage in dialogue with people.
Second, Kai looks up words to build his comprehension. When he made the decision to look up words, it not only built his vocabulary but also gave him the ability to develop a deep understanding and created the potential to make connections to ideas that are similar, which adds to the complexity of his thoughts.
Third, Kai’s reading journey shows that kids with speech delays can improve their communication by reading 20 minutes a day. When my son was young, he had a similar communication barrier to Kai’s. My son’s speech pathologist told me that reading aloud would help him learn speech patterns, which he could model in his own speech. After reading him and his brother over 800 books from summer to Christmas, my oldest son’s speech improved. Kai shows the young that they too can develop the agency to face the barrier and take their walk toward victory.
The Power of “Influencers”
Some people say an influencer should not have this kind of impact on children. They’d say it should be parents’ jobs to influence their children to read. They’ll also say that kids should listen to their teachers, who are always telling them to do so every day, not an influencer.
Yes, kids ought to listen to their teachers and parents when they tell them to read. But these individuals do not understand the impact that influencers have on youth behaviour. If influencers can inspire teenage and tween-age boys to purchase cologne, surely Kai’s reading journey could have a similar impact on Black boys reading. What better example than a Black man who struggled with reading, taking the courage to show the world his barrier, while at the same time taking a step to overcome it in front of the world?
Years ago, I came across a theory called hope theory by Chris Synder, one of the key elements of which is pathway thinking. It states that when a person faces a barrier, they seek to overcome it by climbing over, going around, or going under it. The goal is to face the barrier. Paulo Freire’s notion of hope holds that we are all unfinished beings with the potential to transform ourselves while we are alive. As pop star Michael Jackson said, he was “starting with the man in the mirror and asking him to make a change.”
An Opportunity to Help Black Boys Thrive
I believe that Kai’s courageous live-streamed reading journey is an opportunity for educators and parents to start the conversation with Black boys about the importance of reading and overcoming the difficulties. It is a chance for Black boys to develop a reading commitment, articulating how they will create their own reading journey and how they’d like adults in their lives to support them.
It would be great for influencers to develop literacy content grounded in research that teachers can use to help Black boys become stronger readers. Black men can go into classrooms in their respective communities and read to children to influence them to develop a love of reading. Programs like Black Men Read in Pittsburgh is a perfect example of Black men serving as reading influencers.
I see this moment is ripe with potential and I’m glad Kai is using his platform in such a positive way. As adults, let’s seize the moment and inspire Black boys to embark on their own reading journey that enables them to pursue their dreams.
