Social Justice Book Group resumes Sept. 24
Our first book for the 2024-25 season is "Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity."
The book is written by Canton native Dr. Melvin Gravely II and in the form of letters built on personal experiences and the facts throughout our nation. It concentrates on understanding the answers to three questions:
What is really going on with race in our country?
Why must we care?
And what can we do about it together?
Dr. Gravely graduated from Timken High School and from the University of Mount Union and got his MBA from Kent State University and a PhD in business administration from Cincinnati’s Union Institute and University. He is the owner of Triversity Construction Co. in Cincinnati.
The book is available for free at StarkFresh. It is also available at a discount via Amazon.
The book is written by Canton native Dr. Melvin Gravely II and in the form of letters built on personal experiences and the facts throughout our nation. It concentrates on understanding the answers to three questions:
What is really going on with race in our country?
Why must we care?
And what can we do about it together?
Dr. Gravely graduated from Timken High School and from the University of Mount Union and got his MBA from Kent State University and a PhD in business administration from Cincinnati’s Union Institute and University. He is the owner of Triversity Construction Co. in Cincinnati.
The book is available for free at StarkFresh. It is also available at a discount via Amazon.
The Social Justice Book Club is proud to present its 2023-2024 line-up of books!
All meetings are in the Guild Hall beginning at 7 p.m.
Sept. 26
American Whitelash: a Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress
Author Wesley Lowry
Lowery’s galvanizing new book charts the cycle of racial progress and white backlash that has repeatedly played out through U.S. history. Beginning with President Barack Obama’s 2008 election, Lowery investigates contemporary systems of white supremacy and how they helped bring about the unprecedented political rise of Donald Trump. Combining historical research with critical yet empathetic firsthand reporting, the best-selling author of They Can't Kill Us All delivers a searing examination of the movement.” — Time
Sept. 26
American Whitelash: a Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress
Author Wesley Lowry
Lowery’s galvanizing new book charts the cycle of racial progress and white backlash that has repeatedly played out through U.S. history. Beginning with President Barack Obama’s 2008 election, Lowery investigates contemporary systems of white supremacy and how they helped bring about the unprecedented political rise of Donald Trump. Combining historical research with critical yet empathetic firsthand reporting, the best-selling author of They Can't Kill Us All delivers a searing examination of the movement.” — Time
Oct. 24
Dream Land: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity
Author Laura Meckler
In this searing and intimate examination of the ideals and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler tells the story of a decades-long pursuit in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and uncovers the roadblocks that have threatened progress time and again―in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.
We'll be joined by the author, Laura Meckler, via Zoom
Dream Land: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity
Author Laura Meckler
In this searing and intimate examination of the ideals and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler tells the story of a decades-long pursuit in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and uncovers the roadblocks that have threatened progress time and again―in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.
We'll be joined by the author, Laura Meckler, via Zoom
Nov. 28
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
Author James McBride
As [McBride’s] characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
Author James McBride
As [McBride’s] characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
Jan. 23
Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times
Author Otis Moss III
Dancing in the Darkness is a “life-affirming” (Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown) guide to the practical, political, and spiritual challenges of our day. Drawing on the teachings of Dr. King, Howard Thurman, sacred scripture, southern wisdom, global spiritual traditions, Black culture, and his own personal experiences, Dr. Moss instructs you on how to practice spiritual resistance by combining justice and love. This collection helps us tap into the spiritual reserves we all possess but too often overlook, so we can slay our personal demons, confront our civic challenges, and reach our highest goals.
Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times
Author Otis Moss III
Dancing in the Darkness is a “life-affirming” (Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown) guide to the practical, political, and spiritual challenges of our day. Drawing on the teachings of Dr. King, Howard Thurman, sacred scripture, southern wisdom, global spiritual traditions, Black culture, and his own personal experiences, Dr. Moss instructs you on how to practice spiritual resistance by combining justice and love. This collection helps us tap into the spiritual reserves we all possess but too often overlook, so we can slay our personal demons, confront our civic challenges, and reach our highest goals.
Feb. 27
American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics
Author Kevin Hazzard
Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. A 9-1-1 call might bring police or even the local funeral home. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America’s first paramedics and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world, only to have their story and their legacy erased—until now.
American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics
Author Kevin Hazzard
Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. A 9-1-1 call might bring police or even the local funeral home. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America’s first paramedics and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world, only to have their story and their legacy erased—until now.
March 26
The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True story of The Bondswoman’s Narrative.
Author Gregg Hecimovich
In 1857, a woman escaped enslavement on a North Carolina plantation and fled to a farm in New York. In hiding, she worked on a manuscript that would make her famous long after her death. The novel, The Bondwoman’s Narrative, was first published in 2002 to great acclaim, but the author’s identity remained unknown. Over a decade later, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the mystery of the author’s name and, in The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, hefinally tells her story.
The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True story of The Bondswoman’s Narrative.
Author Gregg Hecimovich
In 1857, a woman escaped enslavement on a North Carolina plantation and fled to a farm in New York. In hiding, she worked on a manuscript that would make her famous long after her death. The novel, The Bondwoman’s Narrative, was first published in 2002 to great acclaim, but the author’s identity remained unknown. Over a decade later, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the mystery of the author’s name and, in The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, hefinally tells her story.
April 23
White Too Long: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy
Author Robert P. Jones
White Too Long is not an appeal to altruism. It is "a powerful and much-needed book" (Eddie S. Glaude Jr, professor at Princeton University and author of Begin Again) drawing on lessons gleaned from case studies of communities beginning to face these challenges. Jones argues that contemporary white Christians must confront these unsettling truths because this is the only way to salvage the integrity of their faith and their own identities. More broadly, it is no exaggeration to say that not just the future of white Christianity, but the outcome of the American experiment is at stake.
White Too Long: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy
Author Robert P. Jones
White Too Long is not an appeal to altruism. It is "a powerful and much-needed book" (Eddie S. Glaude Jr, professor at Princeton University and author of Begin Again) drawing on lessons gleaned from case studies of communities beginning to face these challenges. Jones argues that contemporary white Christians must confront these unsettling truths because this is the only way to salvage the integrity of their faith and their own identities. More broadly, it is no exaggeration to say that not just the future of white Christianity, but the outcome of the American experiment is at stake.
May 28
Let Us Descend
Author Jasmyn Ward
Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Ward leads readers through the descent, this, her fourth novel, is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.
Let Us Descend
Author Jasmyn Ward
Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Ward leads readers through the descent, this, her fourth novel, is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.