06/25/2026
This Juneteenth, four families chose freedom through literacy.
We're honored to share that The Bookshelf Project was named the official designated nonprofit for The Second Act, a Juneteenth celebration hosted by four Northern Virginia Black families: Winston and Josephine Tracy, William and Faith Harris, Craig and Blair Ellis, and Marcus and Shri Noel. Together, they formed THEN; an acronym built from their own last names, Tracy, Harris, Ellis, and Noel.
What makes this story stand out isn't just the celebration, it's the intentionality. These families didn't just host an event; they built a philanthropic vehicle out of their own names and legacies, then turned around and asked: who in our community is doing work worth standing behind? They found The Bookshelf Project and made us part of their Juneteenth story.
They didn't stop at a shoutout. THEN directed their attendees to give directly to our mission, and together that community raised $1,000 in support of free in-home libraries for disadvantaged families throughout the DMV, especially in DC's Wards 7 and 8.
That's what collective action looks like.
Four families, one shared name, one clear purpose, and people who said yes when asked to invest in a child's right to read.
Juneteenth has always been about more than a single day of freedom, it's about what we build with that freedom afterward. The Tracy, Harris, Ellis, and Noel families understood that, and they used their celebration to plant something that will outlast it: more books in more homes, more children who see themselves as readers.
To Winston and Josephine, William and Faith, Craig and Blair, and Marcus and Shri, thank you for seeing us, for believing in this work, and for proving that when families lead with intention, entire communities move.
This is what the literacy crisis needs more of: not just awareness, but action.
