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2/12/2025 12:08:50 AM
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Zeneta and Zaire's Book Club celebrates variety after catastrophe


Zeneta and Zaire's Book Club celebrates variety after catastrophe


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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)-- There are countless books stored at Villa Maria College for Zeneta and Zaire's Book Club. With each book, the hope is to turn the page on bigotry and open the youngest readers' minds to variety and inclusion.

On May 14, 2022, Zaire Goodman was working at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue assisting a senior female outside with her cart when he was shot in the neck. He was among three survivors.

In the days that followed, something beautiful was born out of disaster.

Everhart and Goodman put together an Amazon desire list and asked people to buy books. Considering that the book club's inception, they've gathered over 18,000 books and counting, with Villa serving as the circulation hub.

" Zeneta is a force. She is going to alter the world," stated Dr. Matthew Giordano, president of Villa Maria College." We've done readings at schools, at libraries, at community centers, we've taken books to daycares-- so numerous individuals have actually reached out to us," Everhart stated.

These books are windows into the lives of African Americans and Black people in this country," Everhart stated. "For Black individuals, for Black children, those books are mirrors, which is extremely, extremely important. As they forge ahead on their objective to remove hate through the distribution of books, Everhart advises the young, curious minds to have the uneasy conversations, link with each other and accept variety.

Try to do your best to choose up a book, checked out about individuals," Everhart stated. Everhart and Goodman are currently looking into turning their book club into a 501( c)( 3)-- a beacon of light that will last permanently.

" The world saw [Zaire] that day. They saw what he went through, the pain that was triggered to him and the trauma that he's gon na have to handle for a long time. And to have individuals still today, almost one year later on, still reaching out stating, ‘‘ Are you still taking books?' Naturally, we're still taking books. We're always taking books," Everhart said. "We desire this to be somebody's job, to just deliver books to kids in the neighborhood, which's what he's delighted about; making sure that this is something that's sustainable forever." If you would like to contribute a book to Zeneta and Zaire's Book Club, you can discover their Amazon wish list here.

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Jordan Norkus is an acclaimed anchor who has actually become part of the News 4 team given that 2021. See more of her work here or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Elwood Hill
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Elwood Hill

Elwood Hill is an award-winning journalist with more than 18 years' of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, John has worked on a variety of different stories and assignments including national politics, local sports, and international business news. Elwood graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and immediately began working for Breaking Now News as lead journalist.

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