A new online book club is starting in Abbotsford this month, and they’ll be focusing on Black History Month.
The club is being run by the Diversity Education and Resources program at Archway Community Services, and will delve into the work of a variety of authors from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
With February being Black History Month, they will read Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. Baldwin was an American novelist, civil rights activist, says GoodReads.com, offering a “vital literary voice during the era of civil rights activism in the 1950s and ’60s.”
The club will also read excerpts from How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Kendi is a professor in humanities at Boston University, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He is the host of the new action podcast, Be Antiracist. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.
The book club aim to create a safe space for members of the Fraser Valley community who want to discuss books, poetry, and short stories that explore the sometimes difficult topic of marginalization and discrimination. They also want to celebrate the achievements of powerful authors.
Their first meeting (online) will be Thursday, Feb. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, email darien.johnsen@archway.ca.
READ MORE: Black leaders and artists reflect on Black History Month in 2021
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