ST. PAUL, Minn. - s4story -- Planting People Growing Justice™ Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) founder, Dr. Artika Tyner, announced that the nonprofit organization will hold a fundraising effort for its award-winning Leaders are Readers program. The fundraiser will be launched on August 1, 2022, to coincide with Black Philanthropy Month.

"We are disrupting the cradle to prison pipeline by promoting literacy and diversity in books," said Tyner. "We support equity, inclusion, and diversity."

The nationally recognized Leaders are Readers program received a highly-coveted Anthem Award for its social impact. PPGJLI is bridging the literacy gap, inspiring a future generation of leaders, and creating new avenues for success through literacy. The program provides youth with positive messaging, relatable characters, and cultural representation, all of which are proven to increase literacy rates among the BIPOC community.

Students that don't learn to read by 4^th grade are four times more likely to drop out of school and 61 percent of low-income families don't have children's books in their home. Leaders are Readers is addressing literacy inequities that result in low earning potential, poor health, and future incarceration as adults.

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PPGJLI is changing the dynamic through a variety of activities that includes book distributions and the virtual, intergenerational Justice & Friends Reading Circle (https://www.ppgjli.org/justice-and-friends-reading-circle), in which Black authors read their own books. Youth that are readers are better equipped to resist oppression and create meaningful social change for justice, fairness, and equity.

Reading comprehension improves when children read culturally relevant books. To foster that, the Planting (https://www.ppgjbooks.com/) People Growing Justice Leadership Institute is preserving the art, culture, and history of the BIPOC community through engaging stories that reach students on an emotional level and introduce them to new possibilities in the real world such as STEM careers. Program participants consistently and significantly improved scores on standardized reading tests.

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The fundraising campaign for PPGJLI's Leaders are Readers program will officially launch on August 1, 2022, in celebration of Black Philanthropy Month. Jrue and Lauren Holiday are matching donations up to $10K this Black Philanthropy Month. Help us unlock their matching gift and give during the month of August. Funds will enable PPGJLI (https://www.ppgjli.org/) to continue its mission of increasing literacy rates and creating new youth leadership development initiatives. The program introduces youth to new concepts, reinforces their importance in the world, and encourages them to take their place in leadership roles.