Samsung donates $5K to 100 Black Men of Austin's children's program

AUSTIN, Texas - Samsung Austin Semiconductor has donated $5,000 to help 100 Black Men of Austin with its Cultural Competency program in honor of Black History Month.

The program's goal is to provide multicultural/diverse books to students and teachers, so they can see themselves on the pages, says Samsung.

With the company's donation, the organization was able to bring in Chris Singleton, a Black author who wrote two children's books, to do a book signing and read to students. One of Singleton's books, "Different - A Story About Loving Your Neighbor", is a tribute to his mother, who was killed in the Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, S.C. in 2015.

"We purchased 700 of his books and we selected schools in Del Valle, Pflugerville and East Austin for him to go do read-alongs," 100 Black Men of Austin president Karl Spencer said. "We gave all the kids a copy of his book to take home. We also donated 100 books to the Austin Public Library."

Spencer said not only is it a "blessing to give back," but being able to see the children's reactions triggered an emotional response. "To see the kids get excited… to see someone that looks like them in the book, but then also see someone as young as them, telling them he wrote the book, and he's reading it to them, I was in tears."

The organization is hoping to expand its Cultural Competency initiative with more events leading into the summer. 

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