Illiteracy is a concern for Dr. Sabrina Brinson, a Diversity Fellow and a professor of childhood education and family studies. Dr. Brinson is an advocate for learning reading skills early and reinforcing them often. But she is equally concerned about the plague of aliteracy, which is the ability to read but lacking the desire and motivation.

Her response to this problem was the establishment of Boys Booked on Barbershops and Girls Booked on Beautyshops in 2004. These are community-based programs set up in neighborhoods and communities all over the United States. Professional organizations – currently more than 20 of them nationwide – partner with Brinson and locate a barbershop, beautyshop or other community location to establish a reading nook.

While these nooks could be in any community the professional organizations wanted to sponsor, they often show up in more diverse communities. This fits right in with her three main research focus areas: diversity, multiculturalism and social justice with an emphasis in African American studies; culturally responsive literature; and the social, emotional and moral development of children.