Council honors African American Children’s Book Project ahead of 30th annual book fair

Philadelphia City Council on Jan. 23 adopted a privileged resolution honoring the African American Children’s Book Project on the occasion of its 30th annual African American Children’s Book Fair.

Majority Leader Catherine Gilmore Richardson presented the resolution and urged families to attend the free event on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The resolution, adopted on the floor, recognizes the project’s work promoting children’s books written by and about Black Americans and highlights the fair’s national profile and educational programming.

Vanessa Lloyd Scumbati, identified in the resolution as the project’s founder, addressed council and thanked members for support. “The opportunity to meet someone who looks like themselves and the opportunity to have access to books that are encouraging, empowering and enlightening,” she said, naming authors who will appear at the fair. Several authors and educators joined her at the podium, including Jamar Nicholas and Jamila Tompkins Bigelow, who spoke about representation in children’s literature and the book fair’s outreach to families and schools.

Why it matters: The resolution is ceremonial but highlights a public event that city officials and literacy advocates say encourages reading among young people and brings national authors to Philadelphia. The fair includes book giveaways, author visits, workshops and an educators’ program.

What the record shows: The resolution was moved and adopted on the council floor; promotional and scheduling details (date, time, location) were provided in council remarks.

Details: The resolution text as read on the floor cites average annual attendance of more than 3,500, a host of nationally known creators (35 invited), and the premiere of eight new books at the event.