The Jersey Explorer Children’s Museum and New Jersey Council Teachers of English celebrated the 25th anniversary of the African American Read-In with a series of events for the community on 2/17/18 at the Museum in East Orange, NJ.
Stories of the past and life today in this 21st century were heard from the words written by African American authors in the community celebration at Jersey Explorer Children’s Museum. Kayla Hebbon read from her new book, Anything But Ordinary: In the Beginning. Kayla began writing her book when she was 12 and she is now 14. She described how she always loved reading and how that turned into her book.
Husband and wife team, Cheryl and Wade Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, are authors/publishers in business for over 40 years. They described their experience as African American writers and how ideas become stories and stories become books.
Dramatic reading were acted from old tales as stories unfolded on a large screen by JECM Board member Barbara Branch-Ismail and volunteer, Nadeen Reneau Thakaur.
Children, teenagers, parents and friends from ages 2 to 80 enjoyed the opportunity to choose from hundreds of free books for themselves while as seeing the latest books by African American writers.
Written by Gina Wardlow, President of the Board of the Jersey Explorer Children’s Museum in East Orange. Wardlow is a lawyer with Prudential.
Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE
New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English
New Jersey Council of Teachers of English 