Karlos L. Marshall, Moses B. Mbeseha and their organization, The Conscious Connect, Inc. will use a part of $80,000 in grant money from a global contest to create a reading park on Woodward Avenue — a location said by Marshall to be a ‘book desert.’
Marshall said a book desert is any area where residents are located far from high-quality and affordable literature.
“We want every person within our target areas in Springfield and Dayton to have walk-able access to literacy access points,” he said.
It would take about 25 minutes to walk to The Clark County Public Library’s Main Branch downtown from Woodward Avenue.
Marshall and Mbeseha are co-founders of The Conscious Connect, Inc., a group with roots in Springfield that focuses on urban education and redevelopment.
The organization currently distributes more than 30,000 free books annually in low-income communities and neighborhoods in the Greater Miami Valley region.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Literacy initiative aims to eliminate book deserts
The group’s recent initiative, ‘Launchpad to Learning’ was selected among 570 worldwide submissions a “Top Idea” in the Early Childhood Innovation Prize. The one-million dollar prize is divided among 15 winners.
The property located at 1615 Woodward Avenue will be used as a learning space, featuring a ‘House of Knowledge’ — a little library where kids can take a book or leave a book as they please. The libraries can hold up to 100 books at a time.
“(We’re) trying to create something in their neighborhood that they don’t see on an everyday basis,” Marshall said.
The property was transferred for free to The Conscious Connect Inc. on May 22 from the Clark County Land Bank, which had owned the property since 2016. The initial beautification of the property will be provided by the African-American Community Fund.
Ethan Harris, Clark County Land Bank Project Manager said there was previously a dilapidated house on the property that had to be bulldozed — since then, the land bank has tried to improve the property’s green space with benches and a light post.
“Our goal is to return blighted and vacant property to a productive status,” Harris said. “But Karlos and Moses with their organization took it to the next level.”
A house that’s just north of the property is set for demolition in June, and The Conscious Connect Inc. also has an interest in acquiring that piece of land to add to its space.
“When we drive around Springfield, we see a lot of structures, houses or lots that aren’t being productive,” Marshall said. “We wanted to look at how could we revitalize and redevelop these unproductive lots for communal purposes.”
In 2017, the Springfield Foundation donated $15,000 to the organization for construction of more Houses of Knowledge.
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Marshall is a Springfield High School graduate who grew up on the southwest side of town — he was also a first-generation college student. From 2012-2016, less than one in five people in Springfield over age 25 had bachelor’s degrees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“For me, this is really about social and civic responsibility,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to give back to the community and provide a sense of possibility to a young boy or a young girl who might have been in my similar circumstances.”
Mbeseha said he’s passionate about the cause because of the importance reading held in his childhood.
“Reading is fundamental to success and the ability to navigate different subjects,” he said. “Preparing kids from a very young age to see reading as a value to both their environment and daily life is important to me.”
There is already a House of Knowledge on another section of Woodward Avenue, and also at Perrin Woods Elementary School.
Phase one of the project will kick off at the dedication of the reading park on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Phase two will happen later in June when The Conscious Connect Inc. acquires the parcel of land north of 1615 Woodward.
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