Evanston mom, Krenice Ramsey, is a civil rights attorney, sits on the Board of Directors for the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy and is the co-founder of the local nonprofit, Young, Black & Lit, whose mission is to increase access to children’s books that center on, reflect, and affirm the experiences of Black children. Young, Black & Lit bridges the gap between literacy and storytelling. Thank you for taking the time to get to know more about Young, Black & Lit!
Hi Krenice! Please introduce yourself and your family.
I grew up and currently moved back to Evanston, IL. I moved back to my hometown with my husband to be closer to family and raise my daughter. I’m a new mom to Kenzli Joanne.
Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl! What is your day job?
I am a civil rights attorney. I graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and then received a law degree from New York University School of Law. I maintain strong ties to the community through my work on the Board of Directors for the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy and through Young, Black & Lit, the nonprofit I co-founded with my husband, Derrick Ramsey.
You and I chatted a bit a few years back when we first introduced Young, Black & Lit in our Local Nonprofit Spotlight. Please reintroduce this education-based community nonprofit.
Young, Black & Lit (YBL) is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase access to children’s books that center on, reflect, and affirm the experiences of Black children. Since its inception, YBL has distributed (at no charge) more than 54,000 children’s books featuring Black characters, providing schools and youth-serving organizations with more than 3,000 free books each month. This is done through monthly donations, partnerships with groups seeking to make an impact, and pop-up community book fairs. YBL is celebrating their five-year anniversary with the “Give Big, Get LIT: Bridging the Gap Between Literacy and Storytelling” campaign by donating 25,000 books to schools and organizations nationwide and hosting a short story writing contest for youth writers. For more information on the Young, Black & Lit campaign and contest, visit YoungBlackandLit.org/5year.
What would you like the North Shore communities to know about Black History Month?
Black history is American history. Take the time to learn about and engage with Black history year round.