The Poughkeepsie High School Multicultural Club last week held a “book tasting” in celebration of Black History Month.
With the help of librarian Dr. Shannon Mersand and club adviser Ashalet Gooden, the club set up multiple tables with books highlighting Black history, culture and voices from a variety of genres and featuring African American authors. The attendees, around 25 in all, moved from table to table, spending five minutes on each book to:

• Identify the genre and write down the title.
• Analyze the cover design and title, and read the summary.
• Skim pages to get a sense of the writing style.
• Make connections between themselves, the text and the world.
• Share whether they would want to read the book and explain why.

The event, held after school Feb. 25, ended with a discussion about the books and voices discovered. Everyone also enjoyed refreshments that included fried chicken, white rice, cabbage and iced coffee.
Club representatives said “Hosting this event was a meaningful way to celebrate Black History Month, and we are proud of how engaged everyone was. We worked hard to make this event successful and it was a great way to end the month while learning more about Black history, culture and literature.”