The effort is part of Ramblin’ Reading Day 2021. The goal is to promote literacy in our neighborhood schools by giving a book to all students in kindergarten through fifth grade at William Boyd Elementary School. 

Over 30 Georgia Tech volunteers helped distribute Georgia Tech “swag packs,” which included a Georgia Tech t-shirt, bookmark, and book. The Global Social Entrepreneurship team donated 200 copies of Scout’s Superhero Search: The Birdieman of Rio de Janeiro so that every student could receive their very own book. 

“These books feature real-life superheroes from marginalized communities, in this case an Afro-Brazilian community leader who transforms his neighborhood with badminton,” said Kirk Bowman, Jon R. Wilcox Term Professor of Global Development and Identity and VIP director. “One of our VIP’s main goals is to use documentary film, digital games, and children’s books to provide role models for marginalized communities in Brazil and beyond. Implicit cognitive bias takes root early in life, so we want as many young kids as possible to read these books.”

Georgia Tech students wrote the book and Rio de Janeiro street artist Cazé illustrated it. Since its publication, they have distributed 2,000 Scout’s Superhero Search books for free in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. The kids love the book, a George P. Burdell original!