2023 marks five years since the start of Young, Black & Lit, a nonprofit organization committed to increasing access to children’s books that center Black children and experiences. Founded in 2018 by Krenice and Derrick Ramsey, the organization has distributed more than 54,000 books to schools and youth-serving organizations and will commemorate the five-year anniversary through a Give Big, Get LIT: Bridging the Gap Through Literacy and Storytelling campaign, which includes partnering with local nonprofits to donate books, kickstarting a national book-giving campaign, and hosting a writers’ competition.

In partnership with children’s publisher JoFactor Entertainment, the nonprofit is hosting the Young, Black & Lit Future Author Contest, which will select 10 young writers’ submissions to publish in an anthology of short stories. The contest is open to writers from kindergarten to eighth grade, and the deadline is May 1.

Other anniversary efforts from the organization include partnering with local nonprofits in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, and New York City to donate 2,000 books. Young, Black, & Lit will also host a national book-giving campaign to donate 25,000 books to children and schools across the U.S. For more information about Young, Black, & Lit, click here.