As Minnesota students prepare to return to school, new statewide literacy requirements and national data are raising concerns about how children are learning to read and who is falling behind.
At the first Midwest Black Book Fair in Minneapolis, families moved through a bus filled with books, tables and shelves featuring stories with Black characters and Black authors. Organizer Terresa Hardaway, who owns Black Garnet Books and founded the event, said the atmosphere reflects the purpose behind the fair.
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“The energy of the Midwest Black Book Fair is so live. It is so much love here. It is so much uplifting of our stories,” Hardaway said. “I love it … the energy is so high. People are so excited, so energetic, and just so loving.”
Hardaway said the timing of the fair is intentional.
“I think the timing for me is really based on Black August. It is wonderful that it also is at the time where school is starting,” she said. “So when kids come, and they are seeing all these ways that they are reflected back with the stories and the amazing books that these authors are writing, I think that is a great way to empower them and let them know that they are in school for a reason.”
One child at the fair spoke about why reading matters to her.
“Reading is very important. And if you do not know how to read, you will not be able to read documents when you grow up and important stuff,” said second grader Maraki Daisy Joshua.
Maraki said she is already reading far ahead of her grade. “Yeah, I read fifth grade level,” she said.
When asked how she reached that level, she said, “Because I first started reading when I was two years old.”
Her father said reading has always been part of their home. “She is someone who is a writer too,” he said. “Reading is a gateway or a portal that allows you to expand your world in so many different ways.”
Maraki is reading far above what many Minnesota students are.
According to the Minnesota Department of Education‘s Minnesota Report Card, 49% of Minnesota students met grade‑level reading standards on the 2025 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments.
This school year marks the beginning of Minnesota’s Read Act rollout. The law sets a statewide goal “to have every child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten” and requires districts to provide evidence-based reading instruction focused on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, oral language, vocabulary and comprehension by the 2026 to 2027 school year.
