The African Roots Center in Kingston is using books to spark the minds of young people this month, and year-round.

Board president Maureen Byrd-Blue is carefully selecting books for a first-grade elementary school class. Not hers, but for a teacher in Poughkeepsie who is coming to pick up the borrowed books for Black History Month.

​This year is the first year the Center is letting educators take books out of its library and into the classrooms. (The library operates on an honor system. Teachers do not need a library card to check books out; there is a sign-out sheet instead.)

“It’s so exciting because we have so many wonderful books in one place,” she said. “Black history is a part of American history, and so therefore these books are available 365 days out of the year.”

Byrd-Blue is intentional about what goes into the box.

“You know I don’t want it to just be stories of the hard lessons that were learned,” Byrd-Blue said. “I would like to think that love is the message that Dr. [Martin Luther] King wanted the people to understand.”

This month, she says, is a chance to go beyond the historical figures. A chance for Black students to embrace who they are today.

“I don’t want Black History Month to just be about, the history of those who have come before us. I want it to also reflect you know the culture, you know the music,” she said. “History, we learn from it, and then we just move forward, and create our own.”

Cheryl Haines, the teacher, arrives to collect the box. This is the first time Haines can dig into the books that she’ll be reading to her first graders.

“I am feeling amazing with the selection that she [Byrd-Blue] has comprised for us. Because there are some books in here that I have never seen before,” Haines said. “They are little boys and girls that are gonna grow up to be men and women that do great things. And this shows them that whatever they dream can be done, it’s possible.”

Haines believes books like these validate the experiences of Black children. And are an important lesson for all children.

“Thank you so much for this wonderful treasure of books that I can’t wait to share with my class,” Haines said. "And I know that they are going to appreciate every story that comes out of this box.”

Books to inspire the next generation to dream bigger and bolder.

The A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center is a community-based center and they are looking for volunteers who want to spread the love of reading and learning.