Meet our Founder/ Executive Director
Latoya Turner
Latoya Turner is a nationally recognized educator, literacy advocate, filmmaker, and community leader at the intersection of HBCUs, literacy, and cultural representation. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Latoya has called Cincinnati, Ohio home for the past eight years, where her work continues to transform classrooms, communities, and the national conversation around literacy and HBCU awareness.
A proud alumna of Central State University, Latoya earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and recently was inducted into the Central State University Alumni Achievement Hall of Fame in recognition of her outstanding community impact and educational leadership. She went on to serve as a K–3 classroom teacher for over 13 years, centering literacy, identity, and student empowerment in every space she entered. Latoya later earned a master’s degree in Reading and Literacy from Central Michigan University, further solidifying her expertise in literacy development and intervention.
Beyond the classroom, Latoya spent three years coaching Black and Brown men ages 18–24, providing targeted literacy intervention while intentionally building and diversifying the teacher pipeline. Her work helped prepare future educators and addressed the critical need for more teachers of color in schools across the country.
Latoya is the founder of Brown Hands Literacy, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate youth about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through children’s books, films, and community experiences. Under her leadership, Brown Hands Literacy has become a nationally recognized organization, hosting impactful programming such as HBCU send-offs, HBCU literacy experiences, summer literacy jams, author visits, film screenings, and large-scale community book drives, while partnering with tons of organizations.
She is the author of children’s books Brown Hands, White Sand and Brown Hands, Black Schools: HBCUs, the latter adapted into an award-winning 16-minute animated film she wrote, directed, and produced. The film has been celebrated at the ESSENCE Film Festival, selected for the White House Initiative National HBCU Conference, and featured at major national events, expanding access to HBCU education through storytelling and literacy.
Latoya’s influence extends into cultural institutions, including a six-month exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and she has received numerous awards for outstanding leadership and service to the community. She is also the co-founder of the HBCU Literacy Hub, an innovative initiative dedicated to transforming school spaces through art, community, and culturally responsive literacy experiences that celebrate HBCUs and strengthen college-going culture.
Through her partnerships with HBCUs, Colleges of Education, schools, and community organizations, Latoya continues to support and inspire aspiring educators, ensuring the legacy of HBCUs and the power of literacy remain visible, accessible, and celebrated.
Latoya Turner is widely recognized as a national leader in HBCU literacy and education, using storytelling, creativity, and community-centered innovation to change narratives, open doors, and empower the next generation of readers, scholars, and leaders.