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According to data from the Georgia Council on Literacy, third and fourth-grade reading levels within the state are below 70%, with 68% of fourth-graders and 62% of third-graders not reading at a proficient level. Access to reading materials, during the school year and during the multiple holiday breaks and summers, can help raise those levels.
Books as far as the eye could see were on display on Tuesday morning as the Bijan Reads book fair took place on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium playing surface. An initiative from the Bijan Robinson Foundation, Bijan Reads is attempting to make a positive impact on reading through fun events like the book fair taking place on Tuesday.
Robinson, who admitted that he had issues with enjoying reading as a kid, said he was looking forward to hearing the kids’ stories about what they enjoy about reading. A native of Tuscon, Arizona, he told The Atlanta Voice that one day he realized he shouldn’t care what anyone else thought about how he reads, he just wanted to start doing it more.
“I knew I was trying to better myself and I didn’t care who judged me,” Robinson, dressed in a black “Bijan Reads” t-shirt and matching sweats, said during a press gathering before the book fair began.
His advice to a kid struggling with reading is simple: “Just pick up a book,” he said. “Just pick up a hardcover book, or any book. You have to start somewhere.”
Students from area elementary schools such as Boyd, Kimberly, Perkerson, Continental Colony, Garden Hills, Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, Toomer, and Brandon, were jumping off of school buses and heading into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to hear Robinson talk about the importance of reading.
Robinson said the event was life-changing for him and that he hopes it changes the lives of the kids who were attending.
“I have such a big heart for kids,” he said. “I believe God put me on this Earth to inspire kids.”
Along with sponsors like Scholastic, Atlanta Public Schools, the Alliance Theater, and the Rollins Center for Language & Learning, the Bijan Reads book fair allowed the elementary school students to get out of the classroom for a few hours and head downtown to hear from one of the city’s most popular professional athletes.
Through three games this season, Robinson has rushed for 239 yards on 47 carries and has 14 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons, 1-2 this season, will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon. The stands will be packed for the second home game of the season, but on Tuesday, the stands were packed with students waiting to get bags filled with books.
Dozens of volunteers, also wearing Bijan Reads t-shirts, lime green ones to better be seen for assistance amongst the thousands of kids and teachers, were packing clear bags with Clifford the Big Red Dog books, books from the Captain Underpants series, and copies of “Be You” by Peter H. Reynolds. The book fair bags will also include pencils, pens, stickers, and copies of Bijan Reads literacy guide.
“It changed my life,” said Robinson of reading. “This moment is bigger than everything.”
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Donnell Suggs
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