Literacy advocates play a vital role in helping educators and homeschoolers have the tools, resources, and inspirations they need to help children and adults develop a lifelong love of reading. From educational equality to initiatives for childhood literacy, these leaders are transforming how the modern reader engages with books. 

Alane Adams

In 2008, Alane Adams started the Rise Up Foundation to help with global poverty, particularly children impacted. In her work, she saw the importance of education and literacy in the pursuit to end poverty so she shifted the focus of her foundation to help support literacy efforts. Adams still fights today for children’s access to education. Adams is actively working with educators. She loves to visit schools virtually to teach about storytelling and reading with her video series, Between the Pages. The Rise Up Foundation works to provide support and supplies for classrooms and communities. Alane also focuses on supporting literacy as an author. Her beloved book, The Blue Witch, is being re-released as a readalong on the Alane Adams Studios YouTube to help children develop a love of learning and reading by meeting them where they are at. 

Read more about Adams’ mission and the Rise Up Foundation here: alaneadams.com

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is an outspoken global activist fighting for women’s education. She was born in 1997 in Pakistan. Her father was a teacher who ran a girl’s school in their village where she was able to receive an education, but in 2009, the Taliban took control of their town. When she was just 13, she became an activist, blogging about her experiences and speaking out publicly. This made Yousafzai a target. In 2012, the Taliban boarded her bus home from school and shot her. She made a full recovery and went on to speak at the United Nations, calling for all children to have access to education just nine months later. In 2013, alongside her father, she began the Malala Fund, an organization to help every girl have access to education. Since then, Yousafzai has worked with global leaders and activists continuing this fight around the world.

Read more about Yousafzai’s story and the Malala fund here: malala.org

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton founded the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in 1995 to inspire kids to read. Growing up, Parton’s father was unable to read and she felt that it probably kept him from pursuing dreams. In the beginning, her hope was helping children in her home county in Tennessee, Today, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library reaches children in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. With the help of local businesses, school districts, organizations, or even individuals, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends more than three million books to kids per month.

Read more about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library here: imaginationlibrary.com

Jane Mann-Effiong

Jane Mann-Effiong is an advocate for women’s education and empowerment. As a member of  Malala Fund’s Young Women Advisory Council, she is dedicated to helping girls access education in her community. Through her radio programs “Education On Air”, “Live and Learn” and “Girls Dormitory”, Mann-Effiong encourages important conversations surrounding gender, sexual and reproductive health, and education in northern Nigeria. 

Read more from Mann-Effiong through her socials here: Instagram & TikTok

Glory Edim

Glory Edim is the creator of the online podcast and literacy platform, Well-Read Black Girl that focuses on the uniqueness of Black literature and sisterhood. She promotes diverse voices in literature and creates conversations around societal issues such as banned books or gender equality. What began as a book club turned into a NAACP Image Award Nominated collection of essays written by black women writers about recognizing themselves in literature. Between hosting her literary festival and interviewing authors on the Well-Read podcast, Edim highlights the beauty of Black culture and encourages readers to join the conversation.

Read more about Edim’s purpose and the Well-Read Black Girl platform here: gloryedim.com

Clarice Jackson

Clarice Jackson is the founder of the Black Literacy Matters® Conference, a national educational conference that focuses on structured literacy, the science of reading, dyslexia-informed practices, and effective intervention. Jackson created the conference in response to literacy disparities across Nebraska and nearly every state wanting to equip educators with strategies to improve student outcomes. A lot of Jackson’s work is in connection with dyslexia and finding a useful solution for readers and teachers. In 2012, she founded The Voice Advocacy Center to address unmet literacy needs and help support children and adults with both dyslexia and reading difficulties. Jackson worked on a dyslexia resolution with the NAACP, working to educate and spread awareness on a large scale level of the instructional needs of students with dyslexia.

Read more about Jackson’s mission and the Black Literacy Matters® Conference here: blackliteracymatters.org

Delilah Ann Davis 

Delilah Ann Davis is the founder of the Emerging Learners Literacy Foundation. Their mission is focused on the early childhood literacy learner with the help of educators, families, and community members. They want to raise awareness and educate about language and literacy development, social and emotional learning, cultural awareness, and community networking. In their Project B.O.L.D., they work to provide families with resources to develop literacy and oral language development. In hosting Family Literacy Fairs, they aim to help parents and children engage in literary experiences beyond the classroom. After working in early literacy education in different areas for over thirty years, Davis works to implement research proven, culturally relevant practices to build childhood literacy.

Read more about Davis’ experiences and the Emerging Learners Literacy Foundation here: emerginglearnersliteracyfoundation.org

Jenna Bush Hager

As a former First Daughter, author, and television personality Jenna Bush Hager is known for many things but we want to talk about her advocacy for literacy and storytelling. She has the Read With Jenna book club where she chooses books every month to review. She launched an extension of it, Read With Jenna Jr., in 2023 focusing on children’s literature. Their mission is to inspire children of all ages to love reading while promoting diverse books like the world we live in. Bush Hager works to curate books that are educational and thought-provoking but also entertaining. 

Read more about Bush Hager’s book picks and Read With Jenna here: today.com

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