On February 15th, SKYCTC hosted the 8th Annual African American Read-In featuring filmmaker, radio journalist, and applied folklorist Mr. Lamont Pearley. African American Read-Ins highlight the importance of reading and literacy in the on-going struggle for equality. Read-Ins are a celebration of the many genres and types of written texts created by African American authors.

The featured speaker, Mr. Lamont Jack Pearley, is the Executive Director and Founder of Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation. Pearley is an award-winning Independent Filmmaker and radio journalist. Pearley is an applied folklorist, ethnographer, African American traditional music historian, and practitioner enrolled at Western Kentucky University in the Graduate Folk Studies program.

The founder and Editor in Chief of the African American Folklorist Magazine, Pearley also hosts a weekly segment on WKU Public Radio & NPR called the African American Folklorist. He was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame as Great Blues Historian and TV/Radio Producer (2017) and Great Blues Artist (2018). Pearley works in Folklore's academic and public sectors, where his expertise assists communities and local advocacies to document their stories and strategize and implement long-term goals for cultural sustainability.
Students, faculty, staff, and community members are encouraged to share poems or short passages from their favorite African American authors.

This event was sponsored by the SKYCTC Diversity Committee and is an official event of the National Council of Teachers of English.