Back in the 1900s, I was no different than any immigrant kid lucky enough to have parents with jobs. Both of my parents worked long hours and my sister and I were what is known as “latchkey kids.” When we got off the school bus, we let ourselves in. But the difference between the latchkey kids in our neighborhood was that we had the Ditmas Avenue branch of the Brooklyn Public library around the corner. Literally.
So if libraries are a free resource, and they exist... Why do we even have to collect books for kids? Can’t they just “go to the library” like I did for literacy exposure? And that’s what we’re going to tackle today...
Tenikka Smith Hughes is a 3x Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist with 20 years of experience. Over the course of her career, Tenikka has garnered a reputation for being a key contributor and compassionate newsroom leader. She has a passion for storytelling and community engagement. Tenikka is a youth literacy advocate. She's the driving force behind “Tenikka’s Books for Kids,” an annual book collection initiative that’s put nearly 30,000 free books into the hands of local children.
"You give me a book and I'm going to find it a home."
- Tenikka Smith Hughes
Raised by her mom Doris,
her Aunt Fay,
and her Grandmother Martha, of blessed memory.
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