My name is Jasmine Chappelle Sykes-Kunk and I'm a born and raised Brooklyn bookworm.

I am a descendant of enslaved Africans from the South who journeyed North in the Great Migration. They came in search of opportunities for advancement, education, and recognition of their humanity.

My great-grandfather, Settie Bradford Chappelle, was an AME minister who instilled the value and importance of education in his children.

My great-aunt, Dr. Edna McKenzie Chappelle, became the first black woman to earn a doctorate in history at the University of Pittsburgh. Although her sister and my grandmother, Augusta, was unable to complete university (the cost of having multiple children in university became too difficult for my great-grandfather to manage) she continued to prioritize education with her children.

Granny, as she was loving called, required that all her grandchildren learn to recite the works of her favorite poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar. “We wear the Mask” was assigned to me:

I am honored to carry their names and continue in my great-grandfather's charge with my pursuit of a Master's in Library Science. As a Library Services Associate at EdLab. I aim to serve and help others on their academic journeys.