Note: We’re starting a new series called #MCDBacks. Every Friday, we’ll shout out a cause, organization, or project we believe in and think more people should know about. First up is the Bronx Book Festival.

More than half of the residents of The Bronx identify as Black and/or Latinx. Many have never had the opportunity to meet an author or illustrator in person. The simple fact is that literacy is not promoted in communities of color and The Bronx is essentially a book store desert.

The Bronx Book Festival (BXBF) aims to change that by bringing authors to the borough for the first festival of its kind, fostering a love of reading and writing among children, teens, and adults.

Through April 13, BXBF is raising money to cover operational costs. They’re about halfway toward the goal. We’d love to see them make it. (-Danny Vazquez)