MentorNJ's African American Library Staff Meet-up, in conjunction with the EDI-NJ initiative, hosted the second annual Culture Connection Event on March 14, at Monroe Township Library. This event brought together library staff from all backgrounds to celebrate the history and culture of African Americans in NJ and beyond. Hosted as part of the statewide initiative by EDI-NJ, this event featured insightful hybrid presentations from keynote speakers Denitra Letrice Ross and Earl Givens, Jr., who discussed building cultural competence and developing inclusive leadership.
Attendees also had the opportunity to enjoy soul food sampling, including fried chicken and catfish, collard greens, mac and cheese, and banana pudding.
Engaging breakout presentations explored topics ranging from identity as a child of the Great Migration, presented by LibraryLinkNJ's Stephanie Sendaula to fostering inclusion in the workplace, led by Middlesex College's Claude Taylor. Also, Dr. Geraldine Calhoun discussed her book, The Fourth Grade Freedom Fighters. Thank you to everyone who participated, and thank you Muriel Odrick and Deborah Blackwell from Ocean County Library for organizing such a wonderful event.
