Wall Street Juniors Open Second Reader’s Bank In East Durham

DURHAM, NC – Wall Street Juniors (WSJ) has opened its second community library. On Saturday, April 30th, the non-profit organization that improves the community by teaching financial literacy and personal development skills to increase generational wealth, cut the ribbon on the Reader’s Bank in East Durham. (Please scroll down to see the highlights from the ribbon-cutting.)

Founded in 2018, WSJ founder and CEO MaKayla Booker and her partner Priscilla Page saw the great need for community revitalization, personal development, and financial literacy.  “We wanted a full tier community organization that is dedicated to a lot of different things, not just for education but also inclusiveness. Not just inclusiveness but also development,” said Booker. 

There are two WSJ Reader’s Banks in Durham. One is located in North Durham on West Geer Street, and now, the other is in East Durham in the Hope Crossing neighborhood. The idea for the second location came from a kid in the WSJ program. “We grew up in the area. Both of us had friends that lived here and we were always coming here. Just being in this environment, so we were thinking about another location. and it just made sense to put it at Hope Crossing. We have family there, we got memories there, we grew to be who we are based on some of our experiences in this very neighborhood,” said Page.

The mural on Reader’s Bank was painted by Janina Spencer, an art major at NC A&T State University. According to Spencer, the design and painting were a group effort and took about three weeks to finish.  One of the people lending support was Joel Chalk, a good friend of Booker and Page.

“I am in full support! These are my sisters. We go way back, so I am in full support of their non-profit. Since I stay far, I try to show my support from the distance that I am at,” said Spencer.

MaKayla Booker is naming and dedicating this unique Reader’s Bank to her late grandmother. “Being that this is dedicated and named after my late grandmother, Christine Craig Corbett, it first means that family is our first education source. The second is that we are all here to show the community how important education is and do it together. Taking that knowledge and applying it not only in school but also in your homes and taking that step together,” said Booker. 

The Wall Street Juniors Reader’s Bank is not just for kids. They also have adult literacy books for the parents or other adults who enjoy reading. People in the neighborhood are excited to explore their community library. 

“I think it’s pretty cool because we never really had a library that was close to here. I will very much enjoy this library since it is so close to my house and there are lots of books I can read,” said Mati Martinez, a neighborhood kid. 

“I think it’s really good and helpful for the kids to be reading and getting smarter, said Joretti Aduirre, a neighborhood parent. 

People like Aisha Gbassagee and Ava Jedd, residents and board members of Hope Crossing Home Owners Association, will love to see the community coming together and enjoying the Reader’s Bank.

“We love to bring the community so we can be able to know each other and fellowship. I think what is taken place today is a great beginning because since COVID we’ve been so shut-in, and I think this opportunity will help us bond together,” said Jeed. 

“We will love to see this be a tool to bridge the gap between families. It’s a very tough time that we are going through at the moment since COVID-19,” said Gbassagee.

Booker and Page are planning on expanding soon. They are going to put their next Reader’s Bank within the Raleigh / Durham area. 

If you would like to donate and pick up a book at the Wall Street Juniors Reader’s Bank, you can find them at either two locations in Durham; on the corner of Chorley Rd and Belmont Dr, and in North Durham on West Geer Street.

WSJ Reader’s Bank ribbon-cutting ceremony highlights (Photos: Tianna Degraffenreid):