African American Read-In: Honoring Ntozake Shange

Saturday, February 7  |  1pm – 3pm  |  Free

This program celebrates African American culture through the voices of Black authors across a range of literary forms, including poems, essays, historic speeches, short stories, and children’s books. Community readers lend their voices to works that are sure to inspire, challenge, and reflect upon the Black experience in the United States.

Ntozake Shange (1948–2018) was an influential American playwright, poet, and novelist best known for her groundbreaking choreopoem “for colored girls/ when the rainbow is enuf”, which brought a powerful blend of poetry, music, and dance to Broadway. Born Paulette Linda Williams in Trenton, New Jersey, she later adopted the name Ntozake Shange to honor her African heritage. Her writing illuminated the joys and struggles of Black women with candor, lyricism, and innovation, spanning plays, poetry, fiction, and children’s literature. Shange’s bold voice and inventive artistic style continue to inspire generations of writers and performers.

2026 is the 37th year of the National African American Read In, an event sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and its Black Caucus. Each year communities across the country are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. This program is presented in partnership with the Kenosha Literacy Council, the Coalition for Dismantling Racism, the Kenosha Media Center, the American Association of University Women, and the Kenosha Public Library.