by Sarah Onyango
On February 23, 2016, The National Reading Campaign in partnership with TD Bank presented an event entitled “Black Words Matter: Celebrating Black Literary Achievement”, at the National Gallery of Canada. The evening featured a performance by Ottawa spoken word artist JustJamaal, readings by three renowned authors (Sylvia Hamilton, Ian Williams, and Cecil Foster) and one emerging writer (Ms. Obi Simic) followed by a panel discussion moderated by CBC News Ottawa anchor Adrian Harewood. Launched in 2008 by a group of volunteers consisting of readers, writers, educators, librarians, parents, young people, and book and magazine publishers, The National Reading Campaign aims to make reading a national priority. Its vision is “to create, sustain and grow a society in which everyone has an equal opportunity to become and remain a lifelong reader”.
