The AFTNJ social justice committee will hold virtual book forums Oct. 13 and Nov. 16 through its “Off the Page, Into the World” initiative to bring social justice into working spaces.
The book forums will provide a welcoming, nonjudgmental meet-up to exchange ideas on a complex topic, explains committee co-chair Anthony Balzano, a professor of anthropology and sociology at Sussex County Community College. Participants will address questions provided by a book discussion guide. Ground rules ask all not to interrupt whoever is speaking and not demean or devalue others’ experiences.
“Our goal is to help participants sharpen their talking points on critical race theory for the classroom,” says committee co-chair Jason Jordan, coordinator for Administrative Services School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. “Our starting point will be two essential books that are popular for discussing issues around race in American society.”
The virtual book forums will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Oct. 13 for a discussion on “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo (Hachette Books, 2018) and on Nov. 16 for a discussion on “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi (Penguin Random House, 2019).
To register, email Krista Sweeney at ksweeney@aftnj.org (include book forum registration in the subject line) with your date(s) of choice and preferred email. Registrants will then receive a book discussion guide for the respective books. All registrants are responsible for buying their own books.
