A group of Linden Public School educators has teamed up to form “Book Talk,” a club that meets monthly to discuss equity, inclusion, and diversity through reading.
The group was founded by School No. 2 Title 1 teacher Shaliek Moore and held its first meeting virtually in November to discuss the book “Cultivating Genius” by Gholdy Muhammad.
“The conversations were so meaningful,” Moore said. “I started this initiative to bring awareness to equity, diversity and inclusion. I look forward to building a rapport with other educators and providing a safe space to share.”
The group ordered “Diversity” T-shirts and recently gathered at Linden Public Library along with Superintendent Dr. Marnie Hazelton to show to them off.
From left are Jenise Banks (Academy of Excellence), Elizabeth James (Soehl), Renata Marchesi (Academy of Excellence), Maria Colish (Linden High School), Mary Skramovsky (Schools No. 5 and No. 10), Margaret Zucosky (Schools No. 4 and No. 10), Tanya Martin-Cooper (McManus and Soehl), David Antunes (School No. 2), Eileen Moss (Soehl), Shaliek Moore (School No. 2), Linda-Ann Burt-Moquete (School No. 10), Eloy Delgado (Linden High School), Rasheeda Dort (School No. 2), Superintendent Dr. Marnie Hazelton.
“The T-shirts represent the work we do and try to do more with the community,” Moore said. “We will be challenging our social norms and participating in some fun activities along the way.”
The group also includes Jenise Banks (Academy of Excellence), Elizabeth James (Soehl), Renata Marchesi (Academy of Excellence), Maria Colish (Linden High School), Mary Skramovsky (Schools No. 5 and No. 10), Margaret Zucosky (Schools No. 4 and No. 10), Tanya Martin-Cooper (McManus and Soehl), David Antunes (School No. 2), Eileen Moss (Soehl), Linda-Ann Burt-Moquete (School No. 10), Eloy Delgado (Linden High School), Rasheeda Dort (School No. 2), Ryan Devaney (LHS), Jan Macha (Soehl), Ricardo Ciprian (McManus), and Shirley Thomas (Soehl).