Reading Rainbow aired on PBS from 1983-2006, making it the longest running educational series ever to run on the network. The show, with the help of host LeVar Burton, cultivated a love of books and reading in a generation-plus of children who eagerly watched it (this writer included).
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LeVar Burton grew up in Sacramento, attending two area schools and later launching his successful acting career that began with the 1977 miniseries Roots and moved to Star Trek: The Next Generation. He (and we) hit the jackpot when he landed the role of host on Reading Rainbow.
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Recently, a park just down the street from the 62-year-old’s home neighborhood was renamed (formerly Richfield Park) in his honor, so if you’re hanging out around Meadowview (1900 Expedition Way) and are looking for your nostalgia fix, you might want to stop in.
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Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg dedicated the park, telling the local news that he hoped renaming the park would inspire other local young people to reach their own goals.
Burton’s comment? “If I can do it, so can you.”
LeVar is busy these days, and his mission hasn’t changed – he raised over $6 million in 2014 through a Kickstarter hoping to use the Reading Rainbow platform to reach a whole new generation of students and teachers.
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In a recent interview, Burton says they’re on track to meet their goals, with their Skybrary – a subscription-based online library of interactive children’s literature – being donated to every registered teacher.
It’s his hope to use technology to bring Reading Rainbow into the digital age, using all of the new tools at his disposal to expose kids to the wonder of books and reading.
Just like the old days, only faster.
And probably with fewer sweaters.
