About Ty Allan Jackson

Children’s book author and publisher Ty Allan Jackson’s books have been used by Google for Entrepreneurs, The United Way, YMCA’s, Boys and Girls Clubs, many other youth organizations and countless schools across the country as tools to enhance literacy.  He is a literacy advocate who travels from coast to coast promoting the joy of reading to children and adults alike.  He has received citations from the Massachusetts governor, senator and House of Representatives for his efforts in promoting literacy.  Ty is also the 2013 winner and 2015 finalist for Trendsetter of the Year by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.  He was recently named co-chair of Pittsfield Promise, an initiative aimed to have at least 90% of Pittsfield’s students reading at or above grade level by the third grade.

Talk Description

Did you know that since 2012 less than 8% of all children’s books feature a child of color? ANY COLOR! Did you also know that two-thirds of children who cannot read proficiently by the 4th grade will end up incarcerated or on public assistance, and that 85% of all teenagers who go through the juvenile system are functionally illiterate?? Seventy percent of all adults incarcerated are functionally illiterate. Coincidentally, the prison population in the United States is 64% diverse. In Ty’s TEDx Talk, he will show how the lack of diversity in children’s books, and lack of promoting early reading in diverse and low-income areas, contributes to the mass incarceration of people of color in America.