BPM: Give us the history on your organization, Sister’s United Book Club. How many members?
Sister’s United (SU) Book Club is an African American Women's Book Club organized to learn and experience the world of African American Literature in a fun, exciting, and enlightening atmosphere among our peers. We were established January 2002 in Jacksonville, Florida. Our current membership is at nine and following are officers: President: Sherrell Moore, Vice President: Vanessa Thomas, Secretary: Cassandra Matthews, Treasurer: Yvette Stallings and Historian: Angie Brown.
BPM: What is the mission of the group? Tell us about your work in the community.
Our mission is to promote and Support African American authors. Our goal is to collectively gain knowledge of the African American experience, collaborate through literary dialogue, build sincere and loving relationships and serve the African American community by promoting literacy and sisterhood.
BPM: What types of monthly activities do you enjoy as a group? Do you travel?
SU tries to engage as many authors as we can throughout the year. We often invite authors to come to our monthly meeting to discuss their books. SU also attend The Romance Slam Jam events annually when our schedules permit. To date we’ve joined authors Zane and Brenda Jackson on their cruises. In additional to all of our activities and events we have our Annual “Waiting to Exhale Trip” where all of us travel to designated vacation spot for a weekend of fun and relaxation.
BPM: How are you celebrating the holidays? Will your club have a group party?
SU has an annual Christmas celebration where we exchange gifts, enjoy a meal and fellowship as sisters.
BPM: What impact has reading or being in an organized group had on your life?
This group has been more than just a book club, it’s been an outlet for us as women to discuss life and its challenges as well as benefits. Our book club emulates the true meaning of sisterhood.
BPM: Do you believe a character's culture, sexual orientation or religion are important to understanding their point-of-view in a novel? Why?
Yes, understanding the character’s whole being makes the character more relatable to readers and helps to further illustrate the message the author wants to convey. I’ll use Tyler Perry’s latest movie “For Colored Girls” as an example. That movie touched on reality in today’s society even though the play was written some time ago. Tyler used his craft and the right actors/actresses to bring it to life.
BPM: How do you feel about electronic books such as downloads for Kindle, Nook or iPad, etc?
We have a very diverse group and we all enjoy different ways of doing things. With that being said I must give a shout out to Angie she’s our Kindle Queen.
Submitted by:
Sisters United Book Club
President: Sherrell Moore
Jacksonville, Florida
