Six years strong: Men of Color Read inspires kids through reading

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A group of community leaders is working to make reading “cool” for local students.

Men of Color Read, an organization founded by Jon Covington, brings volunteers into elementary schools to read to children and inspire a love for books.

“Men of Color Read is an organization we created several years ago where we go into elementary schools, our focus is K through third grade, and as simple as it sounds, read to kids on a regular basis to make reading cool and to encourage them to love reading,” said Covington.

Covington said the idea came from his own childhood in Muskegon, where the Hackley Library was an “oasis of opportunity.” He promised himself that one day, he’d make sure other kids had the same chance to discover the world through books.

The program first laun