Exposure to literacy and the arts is critical to early childhood development, yet inequities in education continue to widen. Tenacity & Resilience: The Art of Jerry Pinkney offers powerful messages about strength in the face of adversity through beautiful illustrations of children’s stories, and offers a platform to examine how we can break down barriers so that all children can reach their full potential.  

We invite teachers, parents, and community members to participate in a virtual Town Hall conversation moderated by Montclair community activist James Johnson. Educational leaders and community organizations will lead breakout room discussions on resources and actions needed to support all learners and improve literacy through the arts. 

Presenters include:

• Gloria Jean Pinkney, minister and author
• Troy Pinkney-Ragsdale, Director, Child Life Programs, Course Instructor & Supervised Fieldwork Advisor, Bank Street Graduate School of Education
• JoAnn McCullough, Executive Director, IMANI Programs
• Marcia Marley, Executive Director, Succeed2Gether
• Jessica Trujillo, Head of Youth and Teen Services, and Enola Romano, Senior Youth Services Librarian, Montclair Public Library
• Leah Fox, Director, Vance Wall Art Education Center and Noaa Stoler, Assistant Director, K-12 Learning and Gallery Interpretation, Montclair Art Museum

This program takes place on Zoom and automatic captions will be provided.