Staff Picks: Books Staff-recommended reading from the On
February 24th, kids from the Boys and Girls Club, and other
families, joined us at the Alma Powell Branch for a Jumping the
Broom ceremony. Jumping the Broom was a marriage practice used
by couples during slavery. Many times the slaves’ owners would
not give permission for couples to wed. Jumping the Broom became
a practice that allowed couples to unite without their owners’
knowledge. Today, this tradition has become popular as a
cultural heritage ceremony. During our event the kids took turns
reading from the book Jumping the Broom written by Courtni
Wright. This story is about a young slave girl, Lettie, whose
sister, Tillie, is planning a Jumping the Broom ceremony.
Courtni Wright tells how slave families worked together to
prepare for the ceremony. The women spent their days working on
a quilt to keep the young couple warm. They prepared food for
the ceremony. The men built furniture and caught fish to salt
for the winter. Everyone pitched in. At o