Shorecrest Hosts 5th Annual Black Authors Read-In

For five years running, Shorecrest has hosted an annual Black Authors Read-In during Black History Month in February. Championed by Upper School English Teacher and Tenth Grade Dean Heather Elouej, the event is part of a nationwide initiative that encourages communities to read together, centering around African American books and authors. This year's event was held at Shorecrest on February 12 and featured 54 readers including students, faculty and staff reading works from 59 authors. 

The 2026 Black Authors Read-In at Shorecrest was held in the Weiss Family Pavilion on the Shorecrest campus throughout the day Groups of students, faculty, staff and families came by to read or to listen to works by a variety of black authors, including third graders acting out a book written by a Shorecrest parent.

Established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National African American Read-In (AARI) was intended to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. Since then, the initiative has reached more than six million participants worldwide. Shorecrest has hosted an annual Black Authors Read-In since 2022.