Meet the Team
Founder & President
Being born to a Russian mother and Nigerian father, Cathy grew up speaking Russian and eating traditional Nigerian foods like Fufu with okra soup. As a biracial Black immigrant in America, Cathy has always been eager to learn about how different cultures and communities perceive race and identity, but apart from the history of past racism, not much is taught about intersectionality or structural racism in schools. Seeing that the summer of 2020 spurred an interest in many to learn about antiracism and the Black experience, Cathy wanted a way for this fervor to continue and for a learning community to be built around it. She started Little Black Library with the help of her sister and the founding team, and volunteers as the President, while pursuing a career in workforce strategy at Deloitte.
JADYN NEWMAN
Library Outreach Lead
Jadyn is a student at American University in Washington, D.C. majoring in Social Justice and Film. With previous experience working in a public library, Jadyn sees how accessibility to representative content can impact a community. One of Jadyn’s most memorable moments is speaking (and fist-bumping) with Michelle Obama at one of her favorite bookstores in D.C.
ANNA SKUDARNOVA
Director of PR
Anna’s background spans communications and public relations work across a variety of industries including tech, finance, health and lifestyle. Through her work and studies at Boston University, she has seen the power in sharing the stories that often go overlooked. Anna is passionate about giving back to her communities and being immersed in new experiences. She enjoys unwinding by sitting down with a good book and cup of tea, or experimenting with new recipes.
CHRISTINA LI
Content Developer
Tina is a student at the University of Minnesota triple-majoring in neuroscience, psychology, and genetics, cell development, and biology, and double-minoring in computer science, and leadership. She loves helping others and sharing the power of education and self-growth, and has found the perfect intersection through working with Little Black Library. Outside of her studies, she enjoys working on research in her lab, watching Criminal Minds, and making lattes.
KENDALL EASLEY
Treasurer
Kendall hails from Northern New Jersey and is passionate about social justice, progressive politics, and pop culture. She is an enthusiastic, community-minded individual with project management experience. In her free time, she enjoys reading literature by BIPOC authors, solving the New York Times daily mini crossword puzzle, scrolling through Twitter and re-watching Degrassi.
LIZ CHUKWULEBE
Secretary
Liz is a current student at the University of Illinois studying Advertising with minors in Communication and Business. Coming from the suburbs of Chicago, Liz is passionate about positive representation, communication, and learning. She is excited for people to have an opportunity to engage in discussion and positively influence their communities with the help of Little Black Library. In her downtime, she enjoys reading, walking her dog, and discovering new shows to watch on Netflix.
SARAH ZHANG
Content Developer
Sarah is an undergraduate at MIT studying math and computer science. She is passionate about making a difference in ways large and small, and as an avid reader, knows the formative impact that reading and being exposed to diverse viewpoints has. Sarah joined LBL to support this far-reaching, high-impact grassroots way to get communities engaged and better informed and can't wait to see the organization grow. In her spare time, Sarah also enjoys spending time outside, spending time outside with her dog, and playing instruments.