Six years after the tragic natural disaster called Hurricane Katrina, rapper/actor Ludacris is stepping up to help rebuild the community of New Orleans. How is he trying to help the cultured city? By helping re-stock and replenish its various public schools libraries. Hundreds of libraries and schools were destroyed in 2005 and many are still incapable of restoring their educational book supply.

The philantropist is joining forces with the Epic Book Drive and DoSomething.org to help gather book donations. Ludacris recently dropped this public service announcement in an effort to encourage students across America to share their books:

“I am proud to be a spokesperson for this initiative as it’s in line with my dedication to empowering young people,” he says. “The campaign is giving something as simple as a book to a student in a much needed area… so they can have the opportunity to read, communicate and be inspired. Sharing in this way will have an incredible impact on the confidence and abilities of the next generation of leaders and I’m excited to be leading the charge.”