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By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
By day, Crystal Forte works with students at Minor High School, helping young people overcome academic barriers and reconnect with school. By night—and often in the moments in between—she transforms into @melanatedreader, the Birmingham-based content creator and literary influencer who uses books to build community and spark conversations about Black history, culture and joy.
But Forte sees herself as more than an influencer.
“I’m literally trying to change and shift the culture of literacy because we are in a literacy crisis,” she said. “We got to get our people reading.”
Now, she is putting that mission into motion with her newest initiative, the Reading Black Books Summer Reading Club, an online campaign with an ambitious goal: encouraging one million people to read at least one book by a Black author.
“I want one million people to read a book by a Black author over the summer,” Forte said. “I’m just trying to hit a million people to get a Black book in their hand.”
For Forte, the campaign is about much more than numbers. It is about access, representation and honoring generations that fought for opportunities many take for granted.
A Reader Since Age Four
Books have always been a part of Forte’s story.
A military brat who moved to Birmingham in the 10th grade and graduated from Pleasant Grove High School, Forte comes from a family rooted in education and history.
Her grandmother was one of the Gee’s Bend quilters whose work has been displayed at the Smithsonian, and her parents met in the library while attending Alabama State University.
“It was destined for me to be the Melanated Reader,” she said with a laugh.
Her mother, she said, passed down a love for books early.
“My mama was a reader. My mama is still a reader,” Forte said. “My mom said I’ve been reading since I was four.”
That love only grew stronger over the years.
Today, Forte is a self-described mood reader who consumes nearly every genre imaginable. Historical fiction, literary nonfiction, romance and contemporary works all find their way into her reading rotation.
“I literally read everything,” she said.
She estimates she has read around 75 books this year alone.
Educator and reader Crystal Forte shows off her copy of Brandy’s Memoir, “Phases.” (Provided)Turning a Passion Into a Platform
Though books have always been part of her life, Forte didn’t begin sharing her passion online until 2018.
The idea came from a longtime friend who noticed that people constantly turned to Forte for recommendations.
“One of my friends said, ‘Do you know what they’re doing on Instagram? People are posting about books and recommendations,’” Forte recalled. “She said, ‘I know you’re perfect for this because you’ve been a reader since I’ve known you.’”
Initially hesitant, Forte sat on the idea for nearly a year.
Eventually, she began posting book memes, photographs and reviews. But things changed once she stepped in front of the camera.
“When I started putting my face on the camera, my numbers started going up,” she said.
Her personality resonated with readers.
Then came 2020.
As the nation grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and protests following the murder of George Floyd, Forte organized a massive global reading experience centered on “Stamped,” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, which traces the history of racist and antiracist ideas in America.
Adults read Kendi’s original work, middle school students read Reynolds’ remix and younger readers explored the children’s version.
Participants joined from Indonesia, China, Africa and across the United States.
“We had people from all around the world,” Forte said. “We had conversations surrounding Black culture, Black books, Black thinking and Black thoughts.”
She hosted multiple Zoom discussions and giveaways, with more than 5,000 people participating in each session.
“That’s when I grew to 20,000 followers,” she said.
But more importantly, it confirmed the power of books to create community.
“I think that was one of my greatest achievements in this space,” she said.
By Day, an Educator
When she is not recommending books or attending literary festivals, Forte works as an interventionist at Minor High School in Adamsville, Alabama.
Her job involves helping students dealing with academic, behavioral and attendance challenges.
“Our main part is getting them to school and getting them to stay there,” she said.
She also serves as parent involvement coordinator and oversees Advanced Placement programs.
“Shout out to Dr. Sanders,” Forte said of Minor High School Principal Yvette Sanders. “We are trying to move numbers, and we work very hard every single day.”
For Forte, literacy and education go hand in hand.
She believes reading should never be viewed as inaccessible.
“Reading has to be accessible,” she said. “That’s what this whole challenge is about.”
She regularly encourages parents to embrace audiobooks and immersive reading experiences.
“Everybody kind of shuns away from audiobooks because they don’t think that counts as reading,” Forte said. “But it does count.”
She tells students that learning requires engagement.
“You’ve got to read it, say it and think it out loud,” she said.
A Scholar at Heart
As if balancing education and content creation were not enough, Forte is also pursuing a doctorate at St. John’s University.
A graduate of Alabama State University, Miles College and Troy University, she said attending an Ivy League institution was personal.
“I wanted to go Ivy League to prove a point,” she said.
Her determination reflects the same work ethic that fuels every other aspect of her life.
“They say Black women are the superwomen of the world,” she said. “I want to be a superwoman.”
A Champion for Black Authors
Throughout her literary journey, Forte has developed relationships with authors and publishers who recognize her enthusiasm and commitment.
She credits writers such as Kiese Laymon, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers and independent authors for supporting her work.
“My indie authors have always backed me,” she said.
She still remembers attending an event where the mother of author Cebo Campbell told her she had helped put his novel, “Sky Full of Elephants,” on the map.
“That’s what I want to do,” Forte said. “I want to put our authors on the map.”
Her mission extends beyond reviews and recommendations.
She wants readers who may never have picked up a book by a Black author to discover stories that reflect their lives and experiences.
“A lot of people have this misconception that reading has to be hard,” she said. “To me, reading has to be accessible.”
She believes there are books for everyone.
One Million Black Books
That philosophy is at the center of the Reading Black Books Summer Reading Club.
Participants simply follow the campaign online and engage with activities designed to promote reading works by Black authors.
Forte has created bookmarks, buttons, reading journals and giveaways to make the experience interactive and fun.
The initiative includes recommended reading lists for children, middle-grade readers and adults.
“It’s weird to me that we don’t have more tangible things in people’s hands,” she said. “I want Black people to read.”
She hopes the club grows beyond the summer months.
“I don’t know if the summer reading club is going to stop,” she said. “It might go past summer.”
Ultimately, she hopes the movement creates lifelong readers to support Black writers.
“This is going to be life-changing for authors,” she said.
Crystal Forte attends book events across the country, including the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, Mississippi. (Provided)Rooted in Birmingham
Though much of her work takes her across the country — from the Black Romance Book Festival in Atlanta to literary events in New Orleans, Mississippi, Virginia and California — Birmingham remains central to Forte’s identity.
“Birmingham means a lot to me,” she said.
Her appreciation for the city is inseparable from its role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Having lived and taught in Selma for six years, Forte developed a profound respect for the people who marched, protested and sacrificed.
“I talked to foot soldiers,” she said. “I’ve read firsthand accounts.”
She often reminds her students that many civil rights activists were teenagers.
“John Lewis was 14 years old, and he was out there on the Civil Rights Trail,” she said. “Do you know the impact that you could have today?”
That history motivates her work.
“Birmingham is the heart of the Civil Rights Movement,” she said. “All eyes were on Birmingham at one point in this lifetime.”
She believes the city can once again become a beacon — not only for justice, but for literacy.
“Clearly, we can still keep the eyes on Birmingham,” Forte said, “especially if we channel and refuel the energy of solving the literacy crisis.”
And if Crystal Forte has anything to say about it, that movement will begin with something simple—One book. One reader.
And eventually, one million people discovering the power of Black stories.
To learn more about the Reading Black Books Summer Reading Club, follow Crystal Forte on Instagram @melanatedreader.
