Submitted by Fixing Fathers, Inc.
NEW HAVEN — Books were in the hands of students, children were eager to participate, and there was no shortage of energy at Augusta Lewis Troup School as Dr. Asbery and Professor Tanisha Asbery spent time reading and interacting with students during a literacy-focused community visit on October 23.
Dr. Asbery and Professor Asbery shared copies of Nyelah & Noah and Uncle Jimmy’s Magic Nickel with students and used the visit as an opportunity to encourage reading, conversation and imagination.
For Dr. Asbery, founder and president of Fixing Fathers, Inc., the goal was about more than distributing books.
“We didn’t want to simply walk into a school, hand children books and leave,” Dr. Asbery said. “We wanted to spend time with them. We wanted them to open the books, ask questions, talk with us and enjoy the experience.”
Photographs from the visit captured students throughout the room reading and examining their books, as well as plenty of smiles during group activities.
Following the reading, students lined up to have their books personally signed by Professor Asbery.
“That part of the day really stayed with me,” Dr. Asbery said. “One child at a time came to the table. Professor Asbery signed the book, spoke with them and gave each student a few moments of individual attention. You could see that those moments mattered.”
The school visit represents the type of literacy programming Fixing Fathers hopes to expand through its developing Pages to Possibilities initiative.
The concept is straightforward: use books as an entry point for larger conversations with children about education, confidence, imagination, family, community and their futures.
“Books contain possibilities,” Dr. Asbery said. “But what we really want our children to understand is that they contain possibilities too.”
Fixing Fathers, Inc., based in Hamden, works with fathers, children and families throughout Greater New Haven. Although the organization is widely known for its fatherhood and family-support work, its programming has expanded over the years to include youth educational experiences, college-access activities, community trips, literacy programming and assistance to families experiencing basic needs.
Dr. Asbery said that evolution has come largely from listening to families.
“Our community tells us what it needs,” he said. “Our job is to listen and then determine how we can respond in a practical way.”
The Augusta Lewis Troup visit also gave the organization an opportunity to connect education with something Dr. Asbery believes children need just as much — positive interaction with adults.
“Sometimes we think making an impact has to be something enormous,” he said. “It doesn’t. Sometimes it is sitting down with a child, opening a book and letting that young person know that what they have to say is important.”
The visit concluded on a much less serious note, with students gathering around Dr. Asbery and Professor Asbery for a series of spirited group photographs — books raised, arms in the air and plenty of laughter.
“That was probably the perfect ending,” Dr. Asbery said. “They were being kids. They were laughing, having fun and holding their books. That’s exactly the kind of memory we want reading to be connected to.”
As Fixing Fathers continues developing Pages to Possibilities, Dr. Asbery hopes to bring additional reading experiences, books and literacy-centered activities to schools and community organizations throughout the area.
“We want to continue creating opportunities where a book is not the end of an experience,” he said. “The book is where the conversation begins.”
For information about Fixing Fathers, Inc., visit fixingfathers.org.
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