On a late February afternoon, children, educators and families will gather in libraries and community spaces across North Carolina to do something deceptively simple: read together. The gatherings are part of the Human Rights Campaign’s National Day of Reading, an annual effort led by its Welcoming Schools program to center LGBTQ-inclusive stories at a time when those same books are increasingly being challenged, restricted or removed from schools.
Observed each year on Feb. 27, the National Day of Reading is organized by Welcoming Schools, the HRC Foundation’s education program, which focuses on preventing bias-based bullying and supporting LGBTQ+ and gender-inclusive school environments. The initiative encourages communities to host public and private readings of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s and young adult books, pairing storytelling with discussion and reflection.
Participants who pledge to read receive an organizing toolkit with guidance on hosting events, facilitating conversations and selecting age-appropriate materials. This year’s events arrive amid a continued wave of book bans and education-related legislation targeting LGBTQ+ content, a climate that Welcoming Schools Deputy Director Rebby Kern said has raised the stakes for visibility and local engagement. This year, more than 3,000 people across 18 states have pledged to participate, with readings planned in both Charlotte and Raleigh as part of the national observance.
Welcoming Schools has been part of the HRC Foundation’s education work for more than a decade, operating at the intersection of school climate, student safety and curriculum. The program provides professional development for educators and youth-serving professionals, along with lesson plans, curated book lists and tools designed to help schools address bias-based bullying and harassment, particularly against LGBTQ+ students.
Kern said the program has trained more than 13,000 educators nationwide this year alone, with the potential to reach approximately 750,000 students. In recent years, that work has expanded as debates over gender identity, censorship and curriculum have increasingly played out in classrooms and school board meetings across the country.
“Our core mission at Welcoming Schools is to ensure that every school is a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ students, particularly at the intersections of race and disability,” Kern said.
Much of the program’s work focuses on preparing educators to respond when bias-based bullying occurs, while also helping schools build a culture that affirms students before incidents happen. Said Kern: “How do we intervene in a way that’s supportive to the student and creates a teachable moment for everybody involved?”
National Day of Reading grew out of events in 2015, when an elementary school in Wisconsin planned a reading of “I Am Jazz,” a children’s book based on the early experiences of transgender advocate Jazz Jennings. After the school faced threats and pressure to cancel the event, members of the local community organized a public reading at a local library instead. Hundreds of people attended, turning what began as a small act of resistance into a visible affirmation of the freedom to read.
The creation of National Day of Reading was inspired by that effort to center joy and underscore the importance of LGBTQ-inclusive stories. Since then, the initiative has expanded to include books for a range of ages and reading levels, with communities hosting readings in schools, libraries, places of worship, bookstores and private homes.
This year’s National Day of Reading includes a selection of books spanning early childhood through young adult audiences. Titles highlighted nationally include “Marley’s Pride,” a picture book about a child attending their first Pride parade with a supportive grandparent; “Chloe and the Fireflies,” which centers on family, adoption, and belonging; “Halfway to Somewhere,” a graphic novel exploring gender identity, immigration and cultural transition; and “A World Worth Saving,” a novel that weaves questions of faith, identity and courage through Jewish folklore. Welcoming Schools also features a monthly Book of the Month series leading up to the event. January’s selection was “Freddy the Alien.”
According to Kern, the diversity of the book list is intentional. “Inclusive books also help everyone,” Kern said. “Everyone learning about LGBTQ+ identity helps fight bullying and disrupt some of the misinformation.” The books are selected with attention to age appropriateness and intersectionality, offering entry points for conversations about gender, family, race, disability and belonging across different grade levels.
The urgency surrounding this year’s National Day of Reading is shaped by a broader political and educational climate. Kern pointed to the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation affecting schools, from restrictions on curriculum to efforts aimed at limiting discussions of gender identity. National Day of Reading is one way communities are responding, Kern said, particularly as efforts to restrict access to LGBTQ-inclusive books continue.
Participation in National Day of Reading reflects that response. In addition to thousands of pledges, the initiative includes approximately 40 confirmed guest readers and events across 18 states. Kern said readings are taking place in schools, libraries and community spaces including in states where book bans and curriculum restrictions have been most aggressive, such as Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia.
North Carolina is among the states hosting multiple events this year. In Raleigh, a reading will take place at the LGBTQ+ Center of Raleigh, with elected officials and community partners participating. In Charlotte, a separate reading is scheduled for Feb. 21 at ImaginOn, the city’s children’s library, in partnership with the HRC North Carolina steering committee.
For Kern, local participation is essential to the initiative’s impact. “The people in political power are actually not the ones that are dictating who we are in community,” Kern said.
Educators, families, students, librarians and community members are showing up together to share experiences and support LGBTQ+ youth. In states like North Carolina, Kern added, community-based events like these demonstrate that support for inclusive education extends beyond legislative debates.
Beyond a single day, National Day of Reading is intended to serve as a starting point rather than a conclusion. Welcoming Schools encourages educators and families to integrate inclusive books throughout the school year, pairing reading with broader conversations about school climate, student safety and belonging. Kern emphasized storytelling as a way to build empathy and understanding.
As National Day of Reading approaches, Welcoming Schools leaders say the goal remains both modest and expansive: to create moments of connection in classrooms and communities, while reinforcing the idea that LGBTQ+ stories belong in shared public spaces. In a time marked by heightened debate over whose stories are allowed to be told, organizers see reading together as an act that is both ordinary and deeply meaningful.
For communities across North Carolina, those late February gatherings will center on books, conversations and the simple act of showing up. In doing so, National Day of Reading continues a tradition that began with one challenged story and grew into a nationwide reminder that visibility, empathy and belonging often start with a book read aloud.Readers who want to learn more about National Day of Reading or participate locally can visit the Human Rights Campaign’s National Day of Reading page at hrc.org/campaigns/welcoming-schools-national-day-of-reading. Details about the Raleigh reading are available at mobilize.us/hrc/event/897441/. Information about the Charlotte event at ImaginOn can be found at hrccommunityhub.org/?nd=community_home&community_id=177&event_id=56870.