09/01/2026
📚 Every September, National Literacy Month reminds us that literacy is more than the ability to read and write; it is a pathway to knowledge, opportunity, self-expression, and understanding.
Throughout her life, Dr. Maya Angelou understood the transformative power of words. From discovering refuge in literature as a child to becoming one of the world's most celebrated writers, poets, and educators, her life demonstrated how books can help us find our voices, understand one another, and imagine possibilities beyond our own experiences.
Yet access to those stories cannot be taken for granted. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" has faced challenges, restrictions, and bans for decades, including recent efforts to remove the memoir from school libraries. The very themes that have made the book a source of understanding for generations — Identity, racism, trauma, resilience, and finding one's voice — are also among the reasons it continues to be challenged.
Literacy flourishes when readers have the freedom to encounter stories that educate, challenge, comfort, and expand their understanding of the world.
This National Literacy Month, we celebrate not only the power of reading but also the importance of ensuring that every reader has the opportunity to discover books that may help them find their own voice.
📖 What book helped you see yourself or the world differently?
