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Philadelphia City Council honors African American Children’s Book Project and Black Girls Love Math
Summary
Philadelphia City Council recognized the African American Children’s Book Project’s 30th annual fair and honored Black Girls Love Math for citywide work boosting math confidence among Black girls; authors and students attended and urged continued public and philanthropic support.
Philadelphia City Council adopted a resolution honoring the African American Children’s Book Project and recognized Black Girls Love Math during its Feb. 5 session, citing decades of work to boost literacy and youth opportunity in the city.
The council’s majority leader, Councilmember Catherine Gilmore Richardson, presented the resolution honoring the Book Project’s long-running book fair and programming. The resolution notes the event’s regional reach and cites average attendance “of more than 3,500.” Vanessa Lloyd Scambodie, identified by the council as the founder of the African American Children’s Book Project, joined council members at the podium and thanked officials for continued support.
Author Alice Faye Duncan, who was introduced as a guest, spoke to students at the podium and led a short call-and-response: “Dream big. Walk tall. Be strong. March on,” she said, urging attendance at the book fair on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Atiyah Harmon, executive director of Black Girls Love Math, described the group’s model and said the program is designed to build both confidence and math skills for girls who otherwise might opt out of advanced coursework. “We help Black girls see themselves as math people,” Harmon said, calling for “sustainable public and philanthropic funding” to expand the program’s reach.
Why it matters: Council members framed the recognitions as part of broader Black History Month programming and as investments in youth development and literacy. Several councilmembers urged the public to attend related events this weekend and to support efforts linking education to future job pathways in STEM.
The council placed the resolution on the final-passage calendar and adopted it by voice vote. Engrossed copies were directed to be presented to the organization.
