By Laratee VanNieuwenhuyze
Book clubs haven’t vanished because reading isn’t passe — it’s essential. They’re social engines where thinking gets sharpened, perspectives collide, and people actually learn from one another instead of shouting into the void. In a moment when misinformation runs rampant and book bans proliferate, institutions that cultivate intellectual life and belonging matter more than ever.
Enter the Beta Theta Achievement Foundation. Conceived in Martha’s Vineyard in summer 2022 by Solomon Wilcots — longtime Kappa Alpha Psi Beta Theta Chapter member, former NFL player and Emmy-winning broadcaster — and fellow brothers, the foundation was built to deliver leadership training grounded in financial literacy, technological savvy, health and service. They also launched a book‑club initiative to expose youth and brothers to new ideas and to build a real community.
Wilcots and Stephen Houston, a recent inductee and strength‑and‑conditioning coach at Florida International University, sat with LEVEL to discuss why this book club matters.
LEVEL: What does the foundation hope to achieve with this book‑club initiative?
Solomon Wilcots: We want to promote literacy and a love of learning. Literature is culture’s scripture. Storytelling connects us to our ancestors and expands what we imagine possible. Reading gives context — ancestral, cultural, historical — and lets young people dream bigger than their surroundings.
Stephen Houston: It’s also straight networking. The club brings minds together so younger people can meet mentors they’d never encounter at a dinner table. Achievement comes in many forms — financial, intellectual, physical — and the book club creates pathways to those wins.
LEVEL: With book bans on the rise, how crucial is this work for youth?
Solomon Wilcots: Cicero said, “He who knows only his own generation remains always a child.” If you only know your moment, you stay small. Reading widens perspective, prevents historical amnesia, and equips youth to shape the future instead of repeating the past.
LEVEL: How does the group reshape narratives and stereotypes about the Black community — around literature, financial literacy, etc.?
Stephen Houston: It gives young Black men and women a space to be themselves, to learn without judgment, and to receive mentorship many don’t get at home. It’s a village — a form of parenting and support that teaches real skills, from budgeting to leadership, at each person’s pace.
Solomon Wilcots: We deposit good information, use dialogue to add context and color, then push members to apply what they learn.
LEVEL: Before this initiative, what were your relationships with reading?
Stephen Houston: I loved books as a kid, then sports swallowed my focus — playbooks replaced novels. In the last three years I dove back in: Rich Dad Poor Dad, The 48 Laws of Power, Cry Like a Man. Those books reshaped how I parent, lead, and navigate life.
Solomon Wilcots: I studied English and journalism. I grew up on scripture and literature; that shaped my career in broadcasting and PR. Reading is the toolkit I bring to this work.
LEVEL: Without overthinking, tell me your favorite books right now.
Stephen Houston: Be the Man That You Want to Be in the Moment by Jason Woodward.
Solomon Wilcots: The Envy of the World by Ellis Cose is essential. I’m currently reading Misbelief, about why rational people believe irrational things.