“Readawoke Community of Readers Challenge”
Named a 2019 Library Journal Mover and Shaker and Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year, Cicely Lewis is a school librarian with a passion for creating lovers of reading. In 2017, she started the Read Woke challenge in response to the shootings of young unarmed black boys, the repeal of DACA, and the lack of diversity in young adult literature. Her students were required to read books that challenge the social norm and give voice to the voiceless. Using this platform, she had inspired the nation to Read Woke with educators across the world joining in and sharing the movement with their students. A native of Mississippi, she currently resides in Georgia with her Anime loving husband, Michael and two rambunctious children, Tristan and Trinity. When she is not reading, you can find Cicely writing for her bi-monthly column in the School Library Journal where she shares her book recommendations. She is currently working on her own “woke” young adult novel and hopes to share it with the world soon. Follow her on Twitter @cicelythegreat or check out her blog CicelytheGreat.
Applications for the NCTE and Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Lifelong Readers or the Maya Angelou Teacher Award for Poetry are OPEN! The deadline is May 31, 2020. Apply here.
