Pittsfield is host to a dazzling array of creatives including artists, entrepreneurs, and interesting people of all stripes. One such person is acclaimed children’s author, literacy advocate and motivational speaker Ty Allan Jackson.
Through his books like The Supadupa Kid and the Read or Else movement that he co-founded, Jackson has long championed reading for both children and adults alike.
A native of the Bronx, Ty sat down with Zydalis Bauer to discuss his work, his passion for reading, and why he chooses to call Pittsfield home.
This segment originally aired on June 25, 2021.
Read the full transcript:
Zydalis Bauer, Connecting Point: Pittsfield is host to a dazzling array of creatives, including artists, entrepreneurs, and interesting people of all stripes.
One such person is acclaimed children’s author, literacy advocate, and motivational speaker Ty Allan Jackson. Through his books like “The Superdupa Kid” and the Read or Else movement that he co-founded, Jackson has long championed reading for both children and adults alike.
A native of the Bronx, Ty sat down with me to discuss his work, his passion for reading, and why he chooses to call Pittsfield home.
Ty Allan Jackson, Children’s Author: It all started from a question from my, at the time, eight year old son. He said, “Dad, can we open up a lemonade stand?”
And and we did right on the corner of our home on Dexter and Elm Street. And he made fifty dollars in three hours selling lemonade, which, you know, totally blew my mind.
And he said, “Dad, what am I going to do with all this money?” And I really didn’t know. So, I went to the bookstore to see if I could find a book to teach my son about finance and entrepreneurship, because he was, after all, now an entrepreneur.
And, you know, I noticed initially two things. One, there were so few books featuring children of color in a positive, contemporary way, and there were so few books teaching financial literacy.
And so, the those two things combined to “Danny Dollar.” And, you know, as they say, the rest is history.
Zydalis Bauer: Danny Dollar is clearly an extension of your son, and the character was born from his experience.
How important is representation in books for children of color?
Ty Allan Jackson: It’s incredibly vital that children see themselves depicted, especially in positive and contemporary ways. There are plenty of books with underground railroads and segregation and things of that nature.
But it’s also incredibly important for white children to be able to see that exact same figure in children of color. So, it really makes a tremendous difference in the eyes of all children, but specifically children of color, because it gives them a level of pride that I don’t think exists in any other form.
Zydalis Bauer: Now, Danny Dollar came about from the very real need for you to educate your son on finance and the importance of that.
What other kinds of stories do you like to tell and what themes really resonate with you?
Ty Allan Jackson: I want the children who read these books just to feel like they see themselves depicted in them, regardless of race or gender or anything else. That’s why my stories are very broad. That’s why they’re always fun.
Two of my books are about superheroes. And think about what superheroes stand for: they stand for nobility and courage and honor and strength and wisdom and taking care of your community. And those are all attributes we all want to have and certainly that we all want to see within our children.
So it’s really important for that not to be compartmentalized to just one specific group — just a little Black boy — it should be for all children. So, it’s really important not to stereotype my characters. They’re just, you know, amazing children who happen to be Black.
Zydalis Bauer: Just as you mentioned, you said that comic books have been very inspiring for you and it’s often one of the first mediums that children explore when they begin reading.
What is it about comic books that really speaks to you? And what attributes do you really enjoy about those books?
Ty Allan Jackson: Yeah, I think it’s one, it’s a sense of adventure. It’s a sense of seeing what you would like for yourself to be. You know, when you see a Batman or a Superman who’s courageous and strong and smart and, you know, just really wants to help their fellow person.
I mean, like who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t want to be a part of of making the world a better place. So, you know, that’s one of the aspects of superheroes.
I think the other part is that, you know, most superheroes are all kind of flawed. And I think there’s genius in being able to see these really strong willed people who want to save the world, but they’re also kind of just like us. You know, they brush their teeth and, you know, they have issues and problems the same way that we have.
It makes it makes a bond and an a conduit from reader to character to be able to see themselves depicted.
Zydalis Bauer: So, being attracted to those flawed characters in the comic books, do you try to put those characteristics in your own books with your characters?
Ty Allan Jackson: Oh, one hundred percent. And it’s not just being flawed, it’s just kind of normalize. I want them to be able to see those same type of basic, normal, flawed characteristics that we all have and possess and how we overcome them and, you know, how we can maybe even use them as assets to make the world a better place.
So, for for kids to be able to make that connection and say, “wow, this particular character is just like me” in not just the ways that look like me, but in the ways that make me me.
Zydalis Bauer: How did the Read or Else movement come about and why use such a serious and dramatic statement?
Ty Allan Jackson: Because it is serious and dramatic. The importance and power of literacy is, I think, in my opinion, one of the unspoken but most important aspects of our life and culture.
They dramatically impact almost everything that ails our country, from poverty and mass incarceration to teen pregnancy, poor health, unemployment. You name it, it’s directly, not indirectly, but directly connected to illiteracy.
Two out of three children who cannot read profficiently by the fourth grade will end up incarcerated or on welfare. And that was just a game changer to us, like when we see that basically if our kids can’t read proficiently by the fourth grade, the majority of them are going to end up incarcerated.
So,just that premise alone created the whole Read or Else movement. And it’s really just been phenomenal how the world has kind of embraced that that really simple but yet powerful statement.
Zydalis Bauer: Now, literacy is more than just a vocation for you, as you were just speaking about the incarcerated individuals. It’s a passion of yours.
What fuels that passion for you?
Ty Allan Jackson: I think it’s maybe no different than the whole superhero aspect of wanting to make the world a better place. You know, leaving this place, you know, when my time comes, a little better than when I was here. Like, what better way to do that than impact and empower our most beautiful and important assets, our children?
Zydalis Bauer: You grew up in the Bronx, and it is a huge part of your identity. Your work as a motivational speaker takes you across the country. So, how does a kid from the Bronx end up here in Pittsfield?
Ty Allan Jackson: That is a great question. It’s magical for so many different reasons. And I think, you know, some of them are a tremendous sense of community and camaraderie. I mean, everybody kind of knows one another.
And that knowledge of one another brings a tremendous level of support of one another. And it’s the reason why a guy who’s not even from here can come here and kind of make a mark. I don’t think that this opportunity happens in most places.
My books have been adapted to plays and musicals. That’s not happening in the Bronx, but that magic can happen here because it’s a magical place.
Zydalis Bauer: So, being a child for anyone can be really, really difficult, confusing, and hard.
How do books help navigate the childhood?
Ty Allan Jackson: Books just bring a level of of of unbridled passion and imagination that you can’t capture anywhere else. Stephen King called books portable pieces of magic.
And and I feel like that’s exactly what they are. And that magic transfers from book to reader with with every page. And I think it’s the foundation of of of making your soul even more magical than it already is.
