Paisley Sports Literacy Program

The Paisley Sports Literacy Program is a mentoring program and after-school club for middle school boys with an interest in sports. The program was started in 2016 by Dr. Alan Brown, Wake Forest student and football co-captain Wendell Dunn, and Paisley English teacher Bailey Allman.

Quincy Bryant, Caelen Carson, DaShawn Jones, and Jahmal Banks (2022)

In 2023-2024, the Paisley Sports Literacy Program met at Paisley IB Magnet School in Winston-Salem, NC, and was led by Dr. Alan Brown and student-athletes Quincy Bryant, Dashawn Jones, Demond Claiborne, Horatio Fields, and Jamare Glasker.

The program is on hold for the 2024-2025 school year but hopes to return in 2025-2026. To learn more about a group of student-athletes who re-started the program after the COVID-19 pandemic, please read The Paisley 7 by Dr. Alan Brown.

The primary goals of the Paisley Sports Literacy Program include:

  • to support youth through academic, social, and community engagement,
  • to empower students who are interested in sports to read and write for enjoyment,
  • to explore social issues that affect the lives of adolescents and young adults through culturally-relevant literature,
  • to improve literacy skills and practices that support learning across content areas and promote college and career readiness.

Over the years, the program has included support from university partners including former Wake Forest Assistant Dean of University Collaborations Dr. Donovan Livingston and Wake Forest student-athletes, including Wendell Dunn, Demond Claiborne, Horatio Fields, Jamare Glasker, Caelen Carson, Jahmal Banks, Quincy Bryant, DaShawn Jones, Jaylen Hudson, Isaiah Chaney, Ke’Shawn Williams, Tony Jones, Michael Allen, Evan Simmons, Gerald Davis, Jr., Jaquarii Roberson, and Kyle McKenzie. 

The Paisley Sports Literacy Program has been supported by Wake Forest University’s Department of Education, Wake Forest Athletics, and Wake Forest University’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement. Initial grant funding was received from Winston-Salem Foundation’s Black Philanthropy Initiative and Boston Thurmond Community Engagement Roundtable.