In this episode of Everything Evanston, The Daily talks to The Black Girl Magic Book Club, a program that’s teaching students in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 to embrace their identities and feel represented in literature. The club celebrated its seventh year at its end-of-year showcase, which also served as an opportunity for students to show off their final projects — Magic Mirror Murals.
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KENNEDY OWENS: In the book “Sulwe,” there’s this girl that was very dark and she wanted to be light like her sister. She felt very insecure about it, but then, she realized the beauty that she has in her skin and it just really inspired me.
ANAVI PRAKASH: Walker Elementary School fourth grader Kennedy Owens read “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o as part of the Black Girl Magic Book Club.
The book club builds students’ reading skills and teaches them about being “authentically yourself,” co-founder Jennifer Tertulien said. It’s also about being creative and resilient, co-founder Jenevieve Arceneaux added.
From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Anavi Prakash. This is Everything Evanston, a podcast covering all things Evanston.
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ANAVI PRAKASH: About 100 people attended the book club’s end-of-year showcase Tuesday afternoon.
Evanston Township High School’s South Cafeteria was filled with gold and black balloons, yellow-frosted cupcakes with miniature print-outs of the books students read and students’ end-of-year projects: Magic Mirror Murals.
The projects represent the culmination of everything students discovered about themselves through the book club.
Walker fifth grader Oanh Huynh’s pink and purple mural was covered in glitter and reflected what she values.
OANH HUYNH: Music is important and my culture.
ANAVI PRAKASH: Black Girl Magic Book Club is finishing up its seventh year and has about 100 participants across all its sites. With the addition of Dawes and Orrington Elementary Schools next year, the club will be in eight Evanston/Skokie School District 65 schools.
The bi-monthly club has three sets of about 14 books each — for students in kindergarten through grade 2, grades 3 through 5 and grades 6 through 8 — all with Black female protagonists.
Tertulien and Arceneaux are both District 65 alumni and now teach third grade at Lincolnwood Elementary School and Walker, respectively.
Tertulien said that as a student, she only remembers reading two books with characters that looked like her.
JENNIFER TERTULIEN: When we originally interviewed our first set of kids and we still saw that our brown and Black kids still couldn’t name a character that looked like us 20 years later, we knew there was a problem.
So we’re glad that now, I don’t think that problem still exists. I think we helped solve some of that.
ANAVI PRAKASH: The two launched the club after participating in SEED, or Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity, a development program for community leaders. The club is funded by Foundation 65, an independent organization that funds educational opportunities for District 65 students and educators.
Tertulien’s favorite book is “Freedom Soup” by Tami Charles because it reflects her Haitian culture, she said.
Arceneaux said for similar reasons, her favorite chapter book is “Bayou Magic” by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
JENEVIEVE ARCENEAUX: My family is from Lafayette, Louisiana, so having a story that takes place in a swamp and then, of course, there’s a mermaid, gotta love a magical deity who traveled from Africa.
ANAVI PRAKASH: For Owens, her mural focused on her family — or as she puts it, “basically my whole life.” She said reading books in the club has helped her accept who she is.
KENNEDY OWENS: It makes me feel like I want to keep going in life and embracing my color and embracing my hair and basically not caring what others have to say about me.
ANAVI PRAKASH: Her sister, Kailynn Owens, also a fourth grader at Walker, had motivational sayings on her mural.
KAILYNN OWENS: Life is tough, but so are you. Be proud of who you are. I am loved.
ANAVI PRAKASH: And why are these sayings so important to you?
KAILYNN OWENS: Because it’s true.
ANAVI PRAKASH: Along with its expansion to different schools, Tertulian said the club has evolved based on how students engage.
JENNIFER TERTULIAN: What also changed for us is that I think especially with the curricular changes that we’re making in the district, the kids are taking more ownership of these conversations.
They’re facilitating. Like they literally are like “Can I take lead this time?”
ANAVI PRAKASH: When asked how she would talk about Black Girl Magic Book Club with new students, Kennedy Owens said,
KENNEDY OWENS: There’s this book club called Black Girl Magic and it teaches you how to embrace yourself in a better way and to help others.
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ANAVI PRAKASH: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Anavi Prakash. Thanks for listening to another episode of Everything Evanston. This episode was reported and produced by Anavi Prakash. The audio editor is Isabella Jacob. The multimedia managing editors are Anavi Prakash, Misha Manjuran Oberoi and Danny O’Grady. The editor in chief is Lily Ogburn.
Our theme music is “Revolution” by Xennial, used under a Creative Commons 4.0 International License and provided by the Free Music Archive.
Follow us on X and Instagram @thedailynu.
Email: [email protected]
X: @anavi_52
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