The Quick Version
- The Black Boy Literacy Campaign, a free six-week summer reading camp for boys in grades 1-3, has expanded from Chicago to Louisiana, Washington D.C., Little Rock, and California.
- Founder Pastor Charlie Dates built it around certified teachers, not volunteers, and many boys finished reading above grade level.
- Two South Side churches raised tens of thousands of dollars to cover teacher pay, lunches, field trips, and technology — families pay nothing.
- Parents and congregations can learn the model and start a chapter through blackboylit.com.
“Literacy is liberation. It is the tool that unlocks the freedom of life.” That is how Pastor Charlie Dates describes the mission behind the Black Boy Literacy Campaign, a Chicago program that is quietly becoming a national model for how the Black community can close the reading gap on its own terms.
How it started
Dates, senior pastor of Progressive and Salem Baptist churches on Chicago’s South Side, built the program in honor of his late mother, Jessie Mae, who spent 42 years as a Chicago Public Schools teacher and literacy specialist. The idea was simple: if young Black boys are falling behind in reading, meet them where they already gather — the church — and teach them well.
How it works
The campaign runs as a free six-week summer camp for boys in grades one through three. The detail that makes it work is staffing: the program hires certified professional educators, not casual volunteers, to teach phonics, comprehension, and the building blocks of confident reading.
The churches cover everything. They have raised tens of thousands of dollars to pay full teacher salaries and provide lunches, field trips, and technology, so families pay nothing to enroll a child.
The results
Dates has reported that many participants did not just catch up to their peers — they passed expected reading levels. Boys have come back to show off improved report cards, the kind of proof that turns a summer camp into a movement.
That word of mouth is why the model has spread. What began at two Chicago churches has expanded to congregations in Louisiana, Washington D.C., Little Rock, and California.
Why this matters
National reading data has long shown Black boys among the students least likely to read at grade level by third grade — a milestone researchers link to graduation odds years later. Programs like this one flip the script by treating literacy as a community responsibility rather than a school’s problem alone.
It also treats the boys as capable. There is no hand-wringing here, just certified teachers, real books, and high expectations. That posture is a lesson in itself.
How to bring it to your community
- Start with your congregation or community center. The model relies on a trusted space families already use.
- Hire real educators. The program’s edge is certified teachers. Budget to pay them.
- Keep it free. Fundraising covers salaries, meals, and materials so cost is never a barrier.
- Focus on the early grades. Grades one through three are where reading habits take root.
- Learn from the founders. Visit blackboylit.com for the model and contact information.
How to help right now
Even if you cannot launch a chapter, you can read with a child for 20 minutes a day, donate books to a local program, or support a church running a camp this summer. Small, steady acts are exactly what this campaign is built on.
For more youth programs and learning resources, explore our Education (Learning & Youth Development) section, and learn about the program directly at the Black Boy Literacy Campaign site.
The bottom line
One pastor honored his mother by teaching boys to read, and the idea outgrew a single city. It is a reminder that some of the most effective education work does not wait on a policy change — it starts in a church basement with a good teacher and a stack of books.
