It’s been 17 years since LeVar Burton taught kids watching PBS’s Reading Rainbow that they could go anywhere and be anything just by picking up a book.
But on Sunday at the Grange Hall, the show’s iconic theme song, Butterfly In The Sky, played once again as Circuit Arts welcomed Mr. Burton for a screening of a documentary about the long-running series and classroom staple.
Named after the theme song, the Butterfly In The Sky documentary detailed Reading Rainbow’s more than two decades on television, and Mr. Burton talked about its staying power all these years later in a Q&A session.
Reading Rainbow first hit screens in 1983 and inspired two generations of kids to keep reading and feel the wonderment of life. Authors and illustrators raced to have Mr. Burton read their books on the 25-time Emmy award winning show and teachers played episodes in their classrooms.
Mr. Burton was the show’s host throughout its 26-year run.
Every episode brought a new adventure, and fans remember him flying planes, standing in front of an erupting volcano, riding horses and dancing.
“If you had given me pen and paper and said ‘write down what you want your career to look like,’ I would not have been this generous to me,” Mr. Burton said at the Grange Hall Sunday.
He initially took the job because he believed in the power of reading, a value he inherited from his mother who used to be an English teacher. At the time, Mr. Burton was just beginning his television career, having starred in Roots as the protagonist, an enslaved man named Kunta Kinte.
Mr. Burton believed in Reading Rainbow so much that he continued to host the show while playing Geordi La Forge in Star Trek. He is credited for his ability to connect with children and speak to them about difficult subjects ranging from slavery, incarceration, homelessness, death, gangs and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
It was important for Mr. Burton to be authentically himself while on the show because he knew Black youth were watching and looking up to him. He explained to the audience that it used to be illegal for Black people to read in the U.S. and said that even though times have changed, Black people still don’t have enough representation in literature.
“From our enslavement to the stars, I have been able to re-create and represent the experience of Black people and our trajectory on this planet,” Mr. Burton said. “LeVar as the Reading Rainbow guy is in the middle of that.”
Reading Rainbow focused on advancing representation and chose books that taught kids about a variety of cultures.
Throughout the duration of Reading Rainbow, the team faced funding threats
Mr. Burton spoke to Congress in 1995 about the importance of public broadcasting and its continued funding. He mentioned his two children, and said he hoped the government would support their futures, and in subsequent, their education, by defending programs like Reading Rainbow.
But when former President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, their financial struggles were amplified.
The show aired its last episode in 2006 because it didn’t have the money to continue. Mr. Burton said when the show was canceled, future generations suffered.
“I just cannot and refuse to believe that we are heading towards a society where reading becomes obsolete,” Mr. Burton said. “It makes me sad just thinking about it.”
When Mr. Burton walked onto the Grange Hall stage Sunday, he asked the audience to indicate if they’d seen Reading Rainbow and the whole room raised their hands. He marveled at the sight and said it still amazes him to see so many lives touched by his work.
Mr. Burton spoke about the importance of literature of all kinds and he continues to advocate for reading on his LeVar Burton Reads Podcast.
Rosemary Stimola, a literary agent who lives on the Island, asked Mr. Burton about his thoughts on book banning. She said she’s frustrated by continuously having to turn important books away because her publishers say they won’t sell in states like Texas and Florida where banning books looms large.
Mr. Burton expressed his dismay for the rise of book banning and said it’s of detriment to children.
“We’re banning books and censoring educational material because it makes people uncomfortable,” Mr. Burton said. “I’ve been uncomfortable my whole freaking life. There is no reason to censor history.”
Mr. Burton said there is power in resistance and told the audience to do what they could to ensure that stories that need to be told are shared.
“There’s nothing else to do but do the work,” Mr. Burton said.
Mr. Burton’s daughter, actress Mica Burton, was in the audience and told the audience how her father encouraged her to read growing up. She then asked him about the best way to encourage children to read.
“When parents ask me how to get their child to read more, I ask them ‘what is your child passionate about?’ It’s our passions that tend to drive and dictate our reading appetites.”
At the end of the event, Mr. Burton left the audience with a message all too familiar to people who grew-up hearing his voice beam through their living room televisions.
“If you’re a reader for life, then you’re a learner for life. And if you’re a learner for life, then you are by my definition free because no one will ever be able to imprison your mind.”
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