The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy hosted its New York Celebration of Reading on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at the Lotos Club, one of the oldest literary clubs in the U.S.
Credit/Copyright: Jennifer Graylock
This signature event, held to raise support for the Barbara Bush Foundation’s nationwide literacy work, featured appearances by bestselling authors and special guests including Brooke Shields, Lauren Bush Lauren, Jessamine Chan, Kirsten Miller, Miss New York 2024 and literacy advocate Abigail Quammen, and Ali Velshi, as well as a video message from Jenna Bush Hager.
The New York Celebration of Reading served as the launch of the Barbara Bush Centennial – a yearlong series of special events honoring the 100th anniversary of Barbara Bush’s birth.
“I believe literacy has power and freedom in it –not just the escape, but the power that comes from education and knowledge,” said actress, author and entrepreneur Brooke Shields. “I am so blessed to have had access to all of that, and sharing it – especially with our young people – is very important to me.”
“The joy and magic of reading is, for me, inextricably linked to empowerment and survival. I don’t think it’s too much to say that reading can change lives. In times of trouble, reading has comforted and healed me, giving me agency in situations where I felt helpless. As a mother, it has been a joy to watch my own daughter develop a love of reading, which will hopefully help her make sense of our world and how she eventually chooses to use her own voice,” shared Jessamine Chan, New York Times bestselling author of “The School for Good Mothers.”
“Books embolden you, make you dream. They encourage free thought and empathy,” said Kirsten Miller, author of “Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books”. “Without stories and books, most women would still be walking the one worn-out path that was available to their mothers and grandmothers. Men without fancy titles would still be forced to follow their father’s footsteps. The downtrodden might have found it impossible to lift themselves up. Stories and books have made the modern world possible – by showing ordinary people all the lives they might lead.”
TODAY’s Read with Jenna book club will participate in the series of Celebration of Reading events. Jenna Bush Hager provided a special message to New York Celebration of Reading attendees via video.
“I’m looking forward to this yearlong celebration of my grandmother’s life and legacy, and of course her passion for literacy,” said Jenna Bush Hager. “As a mom of three, I know how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to share my love of reading with my own children, and I want what my grandmother wanted, which is for every family in America to have that same opportunity.”
The event was co-chaired by Lori Wachs, who serves as a member of the Foundation’s board of directors, and Ali Velshi, host of “Velshi” and Chief Correspondent for MSNBC.
Over the course of 2025, the Barbara Bush Centennial will include a series of Celebration of Reading events in Miami, Florida, Kennebunkport, Maine, Dallas, Texas, and Washington, D.C.; special initiatives highlighting Barbara Bush’s extraordinary life and legacy; and the launch of new family literacy programming.
