OUR VISION

All children in the Baltimore metropolitan region CAN access books and EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS that reflect their diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Our Approach

Retail Sales

Our pop-up and mobile retail program travels around town spreading awareness of new and previously released books across literary genres and themes.
Strategic Partnerships

Our business-to-business program works with regional partners to fulfill bulk orders of books, educational materials, and other resources to support childhood literacy.
Community Engagement

Through read-aloud events, book fairs, and more, we are able to bring quality books to schools and neighborhood groups. Our events are designed to help children and adults have fun while learning

“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” — Dr. Rudine Simms Bishop

Representation Matters

Reading, helps us imagine different worlds, understand and celebrate our own, and create bridges between our experiences and the experiences of others.

Forty percent of the United States population are people of color. In 2021, 37% of children’s books contain any multicultural content, and authors of color write fewer of these books.

While progress is being made, we have a persistent problem concerning young people’s access to these books.

When young people in Baltimore City and the surrounding region open a book, what do they see? Often, it is not themselves.

We center diversity by putting new and previously released diverse books in the hands of all children.

A Message from the Owner

Baltimore Read Aloud is a social enterprise. We promote and sell diverse books for children and adults. I founded Baltimore Read Aloud after a career in youth development. For many years, I gave away books with Black characters to Black children as part of the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools initiative. When I left that work, I discovered that books with Black characters were hard to find at your local Barnes and Noble or independent bookstore. Not only were the experiences of Black people underrepresented on retail shelves, 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.

As I work to promote and sell diverse books, I believe Baltimore Read Aloud can serve as a platform to connect and leverage the resources of a bookstore with programming and advocacy often carried out by nonprofit organizations. My long-term vision is to position Baltimore Read Aloud as a key contributor to local literacy efforts giving young people in Baltimore City and surrounding communities tools to read and write their own stories.

As a social enterprise, Baltimore Read Aloud can leverage a base of customers, partners, and publishing industry resources to bring attention to the literacy efforts in Baltimore. We generate income via book sales to support operations and literacy programs. Simply put, I want more diverse books for children and families in Baltimore while supporting a community of educators and professionals with the tools to use diverse books in the classroom and beyond. Literacy is liberation, and I hope Baltimore Read Aloud can shine a light on books that have the power to liberate through representation.

— Nicole A. Johnson, Founder and Owner