Every week I try to use this column to tell you about our journalism and what you’ll find inside Sunday’s newspaper.
Today I am going to do something different: I’m going to talk about something that’s not directly work related.
But it’s worth sharing because it provides insight into the dedication and passion of the journalists on our team covering Brevard County.
Many of you know the byline J.D Gallop, our longtime criminal justice reporter. Jeff's been a journalist for 31 years, with 28 of those at FLORIDA TODAY. I could go on at length about the stories he's covered and the awards he's won.
But this isn't about that. This isn’t about his work for us.
This is about The Little Black Book Drive, an effort to put new books on Black historical figures, science and technology, books by Black authors and more in the hands of Space Coast-area young people.
The effort began in 2022 as Jeff, his wife, former journalist Rolanda Hatcher-Gallop, and Lynda Hudson, a television and radio producer, began discussing how African-American and other youth were struggling with reading, especially in the aftermath of COVID.
That led them to consider efforts to promote literacy, and then "to what we saw as the limited information about Black History being taught in Florida’s public schools," Jeff said. He recalled talking to some young people and realizing they didn't know much about historic figures like Harriette Tubman or Black writers like James Baldwin.
So they came up with an idea. As Jeff puts it, they “decided on a whim really to maybe collect a few books and possibly pass them out."
Because of their roles as journalists, they wanted the effort to be “non-partisan, non-political and inclusive” but they didn’t really know what to expect. They decided to target the book drive around Juneteenth.
What happened next caught even Jeff off guard. Not only did the community respond with donations and support, but the kids embraced the idea.
“We’ve seen kids jump, smile, I even saw one child scream and jump, telling his mother that there on the table, was a book that he had really wanted but didn’t access too," Jeff said. "Then to see them later walking around at festivals, holding on to the books is special.”
They've collected books on topics from sports to science, books about historical figures, books by Black authors, comic books.
“Often reporters get criticized for writing about the bad stuff, but here, a group of journalists are working to present the solutions also,” Jeff said. “We are all responsible for the education of the generations that come afterwards, whether as journalists, teachers, whatever. This is my small part.”
I asked Jeff what has surprised him most about the effort?
“The fact that what we may see as small gestures, like giving a kid a book, is seen as something big by others,” Jeff said.
This week, Palm Bay City Council celebrated Juneteenth, and as part of that, they acknowledged the work of The Little Black Book Drive.
Their proclamation called it “an inspiring initiative in the American spirit of emancipation, education and community grounded in the meaning of Juneteenth. With its small army of volunteers, The Little Black Book Drive's goal is to ignite and nurture a love for reading and provide a gateway to intellectual and financial freedom.”
Jeff is quick to say that he’s only part of a larger team that also includes many others, including Indian River-based journalist Nick Samuel, educator and basketball coach Corey Williams, local DJ C.J. Harris and Ebony News reporter Sonya Mallard as well as community activist Addisyn Mayer.
A major partner is the Essence of Knowledge Urban Book Store.
"Definitely, journalists know the power of the written word," Jeff said. "Letters form words, words form ideas and ideas change minds. So yea, the group I hang with are constantly talking about ideas, things that are impacting our community. Here we saw a need and here, we decided as Space and Treasure Coast journalists to respond.”
The group is always looking for more support to hand out even more books. A focal point is the Essence of Knowledge Urban Bookstore in Cocoa or reach out to Lynda Hudson at 1-954-410-1791.
I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into the non-work work that our journalists do in support of our community. Efforts like this always make me proud to work with this team.
Contact Executive Editor Mara Bellaby at mbellaby@floridatoday.com.
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