16 Lyrics Press Release

16 Lyrics implemented our Representation Matters initiative and thanks to fundraising efforts, we have been able to donate over 1,500+ books to various schools. All of these books were targeted at increasing representation in literature for middle school readers AND were purchased from Black-owned bookstores. The story of a few middle schools can be found below.

  • University of Chicago Charter School, Woodlawn Campus, Chicago, Illinois

    16 Lyrics donated more than 200 books, totaling over $2,000, to the University of Chicago Charter School. This included 150 copies of Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia, 30 copies of Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay, and 40 copies of Dear Martin by Nic Stone.

    All of these books were purchased from Semicolon Bookstore, a Black woman-owned bookstore in Chicago. “Semicolon Bookstore is committed to nurturing the connection between literature, art, and the pursuit of knowledge; while also using the power of words to better our community.” For more information, visit https://www.semicolonchi.com.

  • The Ethical Community Charter School, Jersey City, New Jersey

    16 Lyrics donated 150 books to Ethical Community Charter School. We donated 50 copies each of the following three books: This Book is Antiracist by Tiffany Jewel, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, and Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds.

    All of these books were purchased at The Ethnic Study CoWork Cafe and Bookstore in Springfield, Mass. Ethnic Study’s mission “is to cultivate a collaborative working and learning environment that is inclusive and takes a radical approach to elevate the leadership skills, business opportunities, and voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) within the 413 area.” You can learn more at https://www.theethnicstudy.org.

  • Cameron Middle School, Framingham, Massachusetts

    16 Lyrics donated 40 copies each of Dear Justyce and Fast Pitch, both by Nic Stone. What made this effort even more special was that we coordinated with Elizabeth “Biz” Thompson, the library media specialist at Cameron Library, to time our book drop to closely coincide with Nic Stone’s virtual visit to the students of Framingham Public Schools.

    All of these books were bought from Frugal Bookstore Inc. in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Frugal Bookstore is “a community bookstore located in Roxbury with a passion of promoting literacy within our children, teens, and adults.” You can learn more at https://frugalbookstore.net/pages/about-us.

  • York Middle School, York, Maine

    16 Lyrics donated over $1,000 worth of new books to the classroom libraries of Ellen Rothwell and Britni Rowe, ELA teachers at York Middle School in York, Maine. These books hold perspectives that are otherwise impossible for most middle school students in Southern Maine to experience first-hand. Some 47 different titles were purchased and donated for over 115 total books in all!

    The books for York Middle School were purchased from Olive Tree Books-n-Voices in Springfield, MA. The owner, Zee Johnson, is a strong proponent for representation in literature and her store is an oasis for readers of all ages. You can learn more about this great bookstore at https://olivetreebooksonline.com.

On January 25th, 2022, in equal partnership with Yale University and the New Haven Free Public Library, we donated $2,500 to sponsor a presentation by Jason Reynolds, the renowned and best-selling author, to present to high school students in New Haven, Connecticut. We also were able to include our Representation Matters schools from Maine, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey in this incredible experience. In total, over 1,200 students were able to participate in this moment with Mr. Reynolds, who truly embodies the importance of Representation in literature. Our donation was used to cover the cost of the presentation as well as purchase hundreds of books for school libraries.

Additional Updates

Dr. Khalid el-Hakim of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum

On March 22, 16 Lyrics brought together three of our partner schools for a virtual presentation by Dr. Khalid el-Hakim of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum. York Middle School in Maine, The Ethical Community Charter School in New Jersey, and the University of Chicago Charter School in Illinois all participated in the event. The Black History 101 Mobile Museum is an award winning collection of over 10,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture. The event, moderated by 16 Lyrics president, Zhanu Bowden, taught students about the history of being Black in America and how many challenges still exist today. Huge shout out to Dr. el-Hakim for being engaging, enlightening, and answering so many student questions! And thank you to all of our supporters that are making all of these anti-racist learning moments possible!!!

“Founded by Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, the Black History 101 Mobile Museum is an award winning collection of over 10,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture. Dr. el-Hakim has been called the  ‘Schomburg of the Hip-Hop generation’ because of his passionate commitment to carry on the rich tradition of the Black Museum Movement.  As the nation's premiere Black history traveling exhibit, the Black History 101 Mobile Museum has visited 40 states sharing ‘ourstory’ at over 500 institutions reaching tens of thousands of visitors in diverse spaces including colleges, K-12 schools, corporations, conferences, libraries, museums, festivals, religious institutions, and cultural events.” 

For more information, visit https://www.blackhistorymobilemuseum.com.


Students at all four schools will also have the opportunity to enter a nationwide competition coordinated and sponsored by 16 Lyrics for its partner schools. Students can submit an anti-racist presentation or write an anti-racist essay to demonstrate the ways in which they have intellectually engaged with their reading. 16 Lyrics will award gift cards to Black-owned businesses to the student winners and display the projects on their website.