Community Events Calendar
Black Boy Book Club
Motto: Building Brotherhood through Books, Conversation, and Creativity
This is a four-month virtual experience designed to strengthen Black boys as readers, thinkers, writers, leaders, and future men.
THE EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:
- Black-boy-centered books
• Black sociological thought
• Brotherhood-building activities
• Critical thinking & meaningful discussion
• Creative and academic writing development
• Spoken word & performance poetry
• Identity, confidence & leadership development
• Respect, empathy & accountability toward girls and women
Books 4th -5th grade
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron
When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
Books 6th-8th grade
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper
Facilitator Info
4th–5th Grade Black Boy Book Club Facilitator Bio
Chris Slaughter is a Brooklyn-born writer, educator, and father with an MFA in Creative Writing from Hunter College where he received a Shuster Award for academic excellence and an MSED in Students with Disabilities from Brooklyn College. A fellow of Cave Canem, the North Country Institute for Writers of Color, and Brooklyn Poets, he currently teaches general and special education in Harlem. His poetry project, How to Hurt, was published by Backbone Press. Chris is passionate about creative teaching and helping young people discover the power of writing and self-expression.
6th–8th Grade Black Boy Book Club Facilitator Bio
Dr. Jelani Ince is an award-winning sociology professor, writer, and educator with more than ten years of experience. A three-time recipient of the University of Washington’s Excellence in Teaching Award, he studies how churches and protests inspire social change and is the author of the forthcoming Princeton University Press book Shepherds and Kings. A poet and proud Knicks fan, Dr. Ince is passionate about helping young Black boys explore new ideas, find their voices, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
