Morgan Freeman had a simple message for people attending the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance’s inaugural fundraising luncheon on Tuesday. 

When asked what advice he’d give to an 8-year-old in Mississippi with big dreams, Freeman said just three words: “Get a book.”

Freeman, an Academy Award-winning actor, headlined the “Big Voices for Little Children” fundraiser for the alliance, which is dedicated to improving early learning and child development outcomes. 

More than 200 advocates, politicians and local leaders attended the luncheon, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and blues musician Bobby Rush. The event was hosted at the Two Mississippi Museums in downtown Jackson and primarily sponsored by TrueCare, a nonprofit created by Mississippi hospitals as an alternative to traditional managed care.

The luncheon comes at a critical time for early learning in Mississippi and on the heels of statewide reading gains that have garnered national attention. That wasn’t lost on speakers at the event, including Freeman. 

Executive director Biz Harris opened the fundraiser by underscoring how important successful early education systems are to the state’s success as a whole. 

“Every single day in Mississippi, nearly 100 new babies are born,” she said. “That’s 100 new beginnings — 100 new chances for our state to make the future a little stronger and a little brighter.”

She listed a number of initiatives aimed at improving early learning in Mississippi, including Hosemann’s task force on families and children and the successful passage of a bill that guarantees six weeks of paid parental leave for state employees. 

Harris also detailed her personal struggles with child care — struggles that almost prevented her from accepting her current job. 

Almost a decade ago, she was offered a position by SonEdna, the organization founded by Freeman that helped launch the alliance. It was her dream job, she said, but she couldn’t find child care for her 2-year-old son. After calling every local program, Harris said, she pieced together a child care plan for her son, but it wasn’t ideal. For nine months, her son bounced between programs. 

“He was safe, he was cared for, he was learning, but that constant transition shaped his development and comfort with new situations in ways that we still see him struggle with as a sixth grader,” she said. “I share this because what babies experience in those early years matters so much. It affects their education and their health for the rest of their lives.”

Freeman said his own education in Greenwood influenced his trajectory as an actor and advocate for children’s education, which led to his role as polyester-clad Easy Reader on education children’s television show “The Electric Company” in the 1970s.

As people ate lunch, Freeman recounted stories from his childhood and shared his love of reading.

“When I was 8 years old and living in Chicago, I had a library card,” he said. “My first book that didn’t have pictures was ‘Black Beauty.’ So there I was, reading, reading, reading. And my penchant for adventure came from those books.”

Freeman regaled the audience with other personal tidbits, too, like his version of a perfect day in Mississippi (“riding horses”) and what kind of student he was in school (“a teacher’s pet”). 

But he kept coming back to reading.

“There are marvelous things in books,” Freeman said. “You can learn anything in the world. … All of the things I’ve done — flying, sailing, acting — are because of books.”