Stepping into its 13th season, the “Reading & Rhythm on the Riverfront” program stands as a lighthouse of literacy and community for Detroit. A testament to our city’s invincible spirit, this program, thanks to General Motors and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, has touched over 25,000 lives as guests or volunteers since its inception. Imagine that – 25,000 Detroiters connecting, growing, and thriving together, right on our beloved riverfront.
Thanks to the relentless efforts of General Motors and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, every Thursday and Friday children are presented with golden keys to boundless imagination and knowledge.
Gabriel Park will host as our city’s outdoor classroom where young minds bask under the sun, swaying to the rhythm of live music, their hands holding brand new books courtesy of the Detroit Public Library’s Mobile Library. And what’s summer without a snack? Partners at the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit ensure that the youth in attendance are well-fueled for their literary adventures.
The heart of this program though, is its deep and positive impact on Black Detroiters. It’s empowering to see Black children discovering themselves in the pages of a book, soaking up tales of heroes who look like them. These events, where about 20 dedicated volunteers per session join us from the Conservancy, the YMCA, and the library, are providing Black boys and girls with mirrors to their own greatness.
It has not just been an avenue for promoting literacy, but a pathway to opportunity and inspiration. It’s a chance for our young Black children to see themselves in the stories they read, to dream bigger, to know that they too can be authors of their own narratives.
This isn’t just a summer program. This is a movement. A movement where GM, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and all Detroiters come together, building the future of our city one book at a time.
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