When Clarissa Faustin ’27M found out that she had been awarded a 2024-2025 Emerging Scholar microgrant from the Center for Antiracist Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action (CASAA), she thought about a reason she decided to attend Arcadia: connecting with and creating communities. Thus, Faustin spearheaded Reading Knight and Day on May 10, where students from local communities came together in the Commons Great Room for a fun-filled day based on books and reading. 

“When I received the call for submission from CASAA, I knew that I wanted to pitch something that was aligned with the work I hope to do in the future as a writer and leader,” explained Faustin, who is studying for her master’s in English. “After giving it some thought, I realized that the perfect way to do that would be through an event championing one of the long-standing loves of my life: books! From there, I did some research and realized that since the pandemic, there had been a decline in literacy rates—especially among Black and BIPOC students.”

To fight these declines, Faustin wanted to make books and reading more accessible. All elementary and middle school students who attended Reading Knight and Day received a free copy of “Amari and the Night Brothers,” by B.B. Alston. In addition, Faustin worked with Tree House Books, a giving library and literacy center in North Philadelphia, to ensure the young students could take home as many books as they could carry, all for free.

“While reading comprehension is one challenge, accessibility is another,” she said. “If students do not have books to read, how are they expected to do so? And how are they supposed to truly enjoy reading if they are unable to see themselves in the books they read?”

The event kicked off with a live reading of the first chapter of “Amari and the Night Brothers.” This interactive and dynamic experience helped the students in attendance remove a key barrier to literacy: beginning the reading process. By helping the students begin the process, the hope is that they will stay motivated to continue the story, whether independently or with the support of family and/or friends.

After the reading, students were invited to browse the numerous titles brought by Tree House Books in their mobile library. Faustin knew how important it would be to let the young students choose books they were interested in.

“Giving students the opportunity to take home additional free books was especially important to me because, while I wanted to provide everyone with a shared title they could talk about after the event, I also wanted them to be able to leave with books they chose for themselves,” she said. “My hope is that if students pick books that they like, they’ll be more likely to start reading for pleasure.”

Dr. Christopher Varlack, executive director of CASAA, explained how the event connects with CASAA’s mission.

“The project powerfully advances the mission of the Center by confronting extant educational inequalities,” he said. “By centering on young readers, this project not only fosters a love of reading, but also challenges the systematic barriers that have limited educational opportunities for marginalized groups. In doing so, Clarissa’s work supports our mission to dismantle barriers to equity, inclusion, and opportunity, and affirms the transformative power of literacy as a foundation for liberation and societal change.”

Faustin credits Varlack and CASAA with helping her get Reading Knight and Day organized and off the ground.

“Microgrant aside, there would be no Reading Knight and Day without Dr. Varlack,” Faustin said. “He is the single most steadfast advocate anyone could ask for while planning an event like this, and I was incredibly grateful to have him and CASAA in my corner as we worked tirelessly to make Reading Knight and Day happen.

“Additionally, during my first semester at Arcadia, I took a class called ‘Writing for Children’ with Laura Sibson [an adjunct Creative Writing instructor]. While my experience working in the publishing industry had already informed the way I thought about children’s literature, the class gave me some much needed perspective on the actual kids who’d be reading all the books we hoped to write. Professor Sibson was the first person I ran the idea for Reading Knight and Day by, and her support for the project gave me the confidence to submit it to CASAA in the first place.”

Faustin hopes that this becomes an annual event at Arcadia, even after she’s long left the University.

“My biggest wish for Reading Knight and Day is not just that this first run is a smash hit, but that the event continues even when I’m not at the helm. The Arcadia community has been incredibly supportive towards it, so I have no doubt that local students will have the opportunity to ‘read knight and day’ for years to come. After all, who better to lead the charge towards literacy than a Knight?”