Da Book Joint shares mother-daughter team’s love of Black books with South Side
Da Book Joint shares mother-daughter team’s love of Black books with South Side – CBS Chicago
Mother-daughter duo bringing joy of books to South Side and beyond
A dynamic mother-daughter duo works together to bring the joy of books to Chicago’s South Side and beyond.”It was always my dream to open a bookstore that amplified Black stories, and that’s what I was able to do,” said Verlean Singletary, co-owner of Da Book Joint in the South Shore neighborhood.From fiction to history, coffee table books to kids’ reads, Da Book Joint has it all. If you can’t find it, Singletary and her daughter, Courtney Woods, will make sure they get it for you.”Sometimes we will go above and beyond,” Singletary said.”I have some books in my car I have to deliver later today,” Woods said.
The store’s history goes back to 2007, at the corner of 95th and Jeffery, the original home of their store. All was good until the mortgage crisis in 2009, when they had to pivot and move online due to rising rent costs.”We waited until the end of COVID, and I was like, ‘You know what? We need to get back out into the community,'” Singletary said.After a three-year stint in the Boxville enterprise hub near the 51st Street Green Line stop in Bronzeville, Singletary and Wood moved Da Book Joint to a serene spot at 69th and Stony Island.”We want this to be a space where you can just be you; you can just relax if you need a change of scenery,” Woods said.
It looks and feels like home, probably because Singletary and Woods are not just business partners, they’re mom and daughter. So how is that going?”I don’t know. I mean it’s great most of the time,” Singletary said with a laugh. “Sometimes I have to differentiate between being a mother and being a partner. … She says she wants things this this and this way. I wanna be like, ‘Do it because I said so.””It’s great when you get to work with your best friend. She’s my best friend,” Woods said. “We are so different, but so much alike, and it’s really that. She handles, like, all the legal, and financial, and all the boring kind of stuff; and I get to deal with the fun. I get to create, and curate events, and I get to work on inventory, and I get to play with merchandising.”Among the fun offerings is “Blind Date with a Book,” where books are wrapped in brown paper and labeled with just a few details to draw readers in.”It’s just so fun, and like I said, the only blind date that you’re going to completely be satisfied with,” Woods said.Like the rest of the store, the children’s section features books mostly by Black authors and featuring Black characters.Singletary and Woods said there’s real meaning behind it.
“I don’t think anything draws a child more into a book than to see a book that has someone on the cover that looks like them,” Woods said.”We’ve had kids come in the store and been super-excited, because, ‘Ooh mommy, look, his hair looks just like mine,'” Singletary said.Access to books like these is crucial in another way.”The South Side is a book desert,” Woods said. “Post-pandemic, literacy rates had dropped significantly; and it was all over the city, but definitely very very significant drop here on the South Side.”That’s why Da Book Joint curates literacy events for under-served communities through its non-profit Options for Literacy.”We have given books to schools in Chicago Heights; books and activity kits to Advocate Children’s Hospital,” Singletary said. “We do a Books and Brunch once a month for the kids.”It’s all about reading and more.
“What goes better together than a book and a great candle?” Woods said.Da Book Joint shares space with Stoviink Creatives, a wellness and fragrance brand created by Tovi Khali Turner and Storie Warren-Turner.The four women are friends from back in the Boxville days.”We want to do amazing things in this community together,” Turner said. “We figure if we locked arms together really, really tight, we can sustain ourselves and our beautiful community as it builds up around us.”New customer Candace Brown said the community feeling is what brought her to Da Book Joint.”It just feels good all around to buy a book by a Black author sold by a Black woman,” she said.Woods and Singletary said the secret to success is going by the book you create.
“I always wanted to create a business that could pass down generation to generation,” Singletary said.”We just worked really, really, really hard, and now we’re here,” Woods said.Da Book Joint also has a free book section. Singletary said no one should go away empty-handed. So if someone’s really interested in reading, but can’t afford a book, there still will be one for them.
Film editor with Steveston roots shares behind-the-scenes of his role
Actors, actresses and directors are all the faces recognized by many in films, but there are also those who work behind the scenes who bring these shows to life.
Film and television editor Gregory Ng, who grew up in Steveston, has worked on recent movies, including Longlegs and The Monkey.
Ng describes being an editor as an “invisible art.”
“They call it that because no one really knows what the hell’s going on,” he said.
In simple terms, Ng receives film footage and puts it together. But, he likes to refer to the editing process like building Lego.
“Except Lego is videos and emotions and music, and you sort of get to tinker with that and sort of compose movies with that.”
When asked why he chose the editor path as opposed to being a cameraman or a producer, Ng said he liked editing movies because it was a role that was “closest to the final product.”
“They’re all very interesting occupations all around, but in editing, I feel like you’re the closest to having the actual thing.
“When you put together a scene, and you land some music or you’re working with something funny and making the punchline really laugh … that is when you see those things happening and this is what the movie really is.”
He said being on a film set can be exciting, but only for short moments. He felt more connected to his work on his computer, using technology and putting the clips together.
‘One-track mind’ to become a film editor
The former St. Paul’s elementary student grew up as a major Star Wars fan and remembered seeing movies back in the old Famous Players Richmond Centre Cinema. To this day, he has kept his Star Wars movie tickets.
“Because of Star Wars and watching the behind the scenes of the film — we got the box set VHS — I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool and I want to do that,'” said Ng.
He recalled telling everyone his goal was to work on The Empire Strikes Back or “something newer” while he was growing up.
Ng said he has always been on a “one-track mind” to work in the film industry and spent his high school years working on his career path for this goal.
Just before graduation from Vancouver College, he took an introduction-to-work-in-film course at Vancouver Film School in the summer. Following his graduation, he went to UBC to pursue a degree in film production.
“Film is an industry with a lot of burnout and turnover, but there are the people who stuck it out still, who I still have working and social relationships with, that I went to film school with since I was a younger person.”
He added that being able to work and be part of the film community since he started out has been nothing but amazing.
Ng said many of his colleagues and friends, including Graham Fortin, Chris Ferguson and Andy Levine, have all played a huge role in his film editing journey.
“Everybody kind of grows up and sees the industry rise at the same time, so it’s been an interesting journey.”
Staying objective while editing films
Working hours on hours editing can be tedious and repetitive, something Ng doesn’t deny.
“It is a big challenge when editing. How do you stay objective? How do you remain clear-sighted when you look at everything? You start to fixate on tiny things.”
However, Ng has learned to remain objective during his editing projects by changing his work environment. This could mean taking his keyboard and putting it elsewhere so he cannot touch it while he reviews key parts of the film he is working on.
But watching parts of his work with other people has been the most helpful because “movies are made for people to watch in a social setting,” Ng explained.
“If you can do that, it really gives you the bird’s-eye view of how a movie should be, or at least the reactions that you were getting to and how you need to tailor them to get the responses that you want.”
Depending on the film, editing could take months, he added.
Ng’s resume of films doesn’t stop at horror, action or comedy, but also extends to TV shows such as Bones of Crows and Allegiance, as well as sports documentaries like The Grizzlie Truth, I’m Just Here for the Riot and Saints and Warriors.
Working on documentaries for Ng is always a learning experience each time, particularly when he worked on his first project early in his career.
He said it is different from regular films in that there are “no regular takes” and a “figure it out as you go” kind of projects.
“When you’re working with scripted footage, you’re trying to make something that’s pretend as believable as possible. When you’re working in documentary, you’re trying to make this thing that is real as cinematic as possible.”
On certain films like documentaries, Ng added, there is a recommendation that for every 10 minutes of a final movie, you need one month of editing.
“But that’s sort of an ideal situation in documentary,” said Ng.
Longer or shorter editing periods can also depend on the number of effects needed, and how many shooting days there were.
“If I work on two to three movies in a year, I feel pretty good about that.”
Side interest from the film industry
While the film industry has been Ng’s dream job since he was a kid, he has some side interests and projects.
He told the News that many people in the arts industry have “existential crisis of thinking” where they might never work again or the “world is collapsing” in between projects.
“I often think, if this whole film thing collapses due to whatever reason, I can maybe pursue my other passions like making stickers or making waffles.”
Ng said he wouldn’t know how he could monetize his waffle-making, but it’s an ongoing and latest passion, experimenting with the different types of waffles.
“People may not always have to watch a movie, but you do have to eat.”
For now, Ng remains working in his dream job as a film editor because to him, his job is like being a technical wizard and a master storyteller with impeccable timing and an easy-going nature.
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MOVIES: A video game is being asked to save this sluggish spring season at the theaters
The year has started slowly in the movie theatres. Highly anticipated films like Snow White have underwhelmed. And others like Mickey 17 and Black Bag have also under performed. So there’s a lot riding on this week’s big one: A Minecraft Movie. Predictions are big because it’s based on that huge video game that has many, many players. But let’s see what happens. It’s my lead review today and is followed by several better but smaller choices.A Minecraft Movie: 2 ½ starsA Friend: 3 ½A Nice Indian Boy: 3 ½ Queen of the Ring: 4Resident Orca: 4Freaky Tales: 2A MINECRAFT MOVIE: Films made out of video games have a mixed record. Most have been bad. The TV series The Last of Us is excellent and this is in the middle. Neither good nor bad. Speedy and visually very imaginative but also unnecessary because it feels like an old story. I’m told it’s very close to the game and though I haven’t played it, I believe that. It marches along like a game, builds structures, sends characters down into underground passages, shafts and tunnels and sends all sorts of creatures and characters at them. Why? Well, there’s an orb (that actually looks like a plastic box) that seems to be the control point of everything. No wonder it’s called “the orb of dominance.”An evil sorcerer named Malgosha (voiced by Rachel House) wants to get hold of it, and she has an army of creatures called “piglins” at her command. Against her is a group of five people who have come from down below to the Overworld to stop her from doing what she plans. Whatever it is, it would apparently destroy the Overworld. Would make sense in a game, maybe, with its many levels. Not too clear here. But the action is lively as the five fight their way to Woodlands Mansion, notably its third floor. Apparently it’s a place where you can do and construct anything you can imagine. Who wouldn’t want to save that? Courtesy of Warner BrothersJack Black plays Steve, the de-facto leader. He’s been dreaming since he was a boy of getting into the mines around here. Co-leader is Jason Momoa as Garrison, a has-been video game champion now selling games in a store. He has a great time being silly and even singing. With them are a brainy kid (Sebastian Hansen) and his older sister (Emma Myers) and, for some reason, a real estate agent (Danielle Brooks). Why? Can’t remember, or why Jennifer Coolidge appears as a high school vice-principal. Possibly because the character is in the game and this movie works very hard to recreate it. Too hard. The director is Jared Hess, best known for Napoleon Dynamite, but sadly he doesn’t give us the same goofy humor here, opting instead to match the game that the fans know. (In theaters) 2 ½ out of 5.THE FRIEND: This is a warm-hearted and moving film about healing after the loss of a friend. Bill Murray is at the top of the cast list, but he’s gone almost immediately and re-appears only in flashbacks. His character has committed suicide and Naomi Watts, as Iris, a writer who was a student and then lover of his, has to re-order her life. She’s still tied to him through friends they shared, his daughter who she talks with and a project she’s taken on to edit his e-mail letters to publish in a book. And a dog. Courtesy of Mongrel MediaThat’s a giant Great Dane that he wanted her to take care of. He’s called Apollo and, with his big sad eyes, seems to be even more depressed than Iris over the loss. “They seem to know things, don’t they?” she says. Pet owners will understand the challenges she faces in getting the animal to adjust to her life. He takes over the bed, for instance, and won’t move. “He’s a good dog,” a vet says. “Don’t turn him into a bad one.” He’s not allowed in the New York apartment building they live in, as the super regularly reminds, and eviction is threatened. While she deals with that, she learns more about her former mentor from his daughter, wife and two ex-wives. “You were his contingency plan,” she’s told. “You were his best friend.” It’s poignant, not at all heavy, smoothly directed and well-written by Scott McGehee + David Siegel and based on a best-selling novel by Sigrid Nunez. (In Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver theaters. More April 11). 3 ½ out of 5 A NICE INDIAN BOY: Friction in a South Asian family. We’ve seen it in movies before when a son or daughter brings home a romantic partner who is different: white or of another religion, in the usual version of this storyline. It’s been told in English films and this one (American and filmed in Vancouver) goes even further. The lover that the Indian son brings home is not only white, but gay. He’s not totally different because he was adopted as an orphan and raised by a Hindu family, so he knows the culture. Courtesy of WayfarerBut he is gay. The dad will bluster, maybe rant, and mom may cry. Surprise. They don’t. They try to understand; take to watching OUT-TV and learn to accept. Mom shares what she learned from the movie Milk. It’s a refreshing change of attitude probably brought on by the filmmakers’ own story. Roshan Sethi, the director, is gay and has put in insights from his own life to promote acceptance. He’s also in a romantic relationship with one of his stars, Karan Soni who plays the son. You might have seen him in the Deadpool movies. Here he’s a shy doctor while his lover and soon fiancé is played by Jonathan Groff who is also a TV actor and a singer. His character is the more outgoing of the two. And despite a few funny awkward steps when he’s brought home, the film focuses on how to make relationships work. In contrast, a sister is having marital problems with the family-accepted man she took as a husband. The film has an agenda, sure, but it is also light, endearing and pleasant. (In theaters: Toronto now, Vancouver, Calgary and other cities soon) 3 ½ out of 5QUEEN OF THE RING: It feels low-class, but it sure is fun. Wrestling is the subject and, as usual, when the movies look at it, we see small-town crowds cheering every toss, punch and kick by strutting athletes putting in the hits to excite them. The difference here: these are women wrestlers, and they are just as wild as the men. Some of these bouts, especially one near the end, are brutal. It hurts just to watch and imagine. But it is also an advance of sorts in women’s equality. Bouts like it used to be illegal. “Muscles weren’t allowed on pretty girls,” we hear. It took some wily promoters to get the ban lifted in California in 1965 and New York in 1972. Before that, there was a show put on in carnivals, where it definitely looked low-class.Mildred Burke started there, and eventually became a world champion and the first million-dollar woman athlete in history. Emily Bett Rickards (from Vancouver) plays her with grit, spunk and warmth in this Kentucky-filmed movie directed by Ash Avildsen. His dad directed Rocky and The Karate Kid. So he knows his way around a sports movie. (He’s also in the film very briefly as the wrestling boss Vince McMahon).But this is the Rickards show. Courtesy of The Impact SeriesShe’s magnetic as a single mom who’s convinced it’s her destiny to make it big. John Lucas is her trainer and promoter, but really a small-time hustler working up “chaos, rule breakin’ pandemonium” for the yokels. “I can’t sing, and I can’t dance,” she tells him. So wrestling was his way up. He taught her that, essentially, it is story telling. Fire up the crowd with a tale of good vs evil. “No, bouts aren’t fixed,” he says. They’re “scripted.” He bills her as The Kansas Cyclone and pits her against The Texas Tornado, The Alabama Assassin and others. She later marries him, becomes his partner in business, gets fed up with his controlling nature and infidelity (also a bloody punch), divorces him and even competes against him as a promoter. Low class or not, it’s a rousing film that backs a feisty woman’s ambition. (In theaters) 4 out of 5 RESIDENT ORCA: Two weeks ago, a film showed us the sad effects of confining elephants in zoos. Here’s an almost duplicate story about whales. The issue has been shown and argued about before … in Vancouver, for instance, where the aquarium is not allowed to keep orcas anymore. In the nearby Salish Sea, the southern resident orcas are an endangered species; only 75 are said to still live in the wild. Back in the 1950s and 60s, almost 50 were captured and sold (old film shows) and taken to aquariums where they were trained to put on shows for tourists. A great learning experience for children, it was said. Members of the Lummi Nation in Washington State disagreed. Orcas are “part of who we are. Our kinship,” says an elder. Courtesy of Everyday Film + CRAVEThey mount a campaign to bring back two that were taken to Seaquarium in Miami, Florida, where trainers are seen riding them in the small pool, luring them to surface high out of the water and do tricks to entertain the crowd. They were given the disrespectful names, Hugo and Lolita, and the Lummi noted that Lolita, also called Tokie, had been there over 50 years. Hugo killed himself by repeatedly ramming his head into the pool wall. Tokie got sick and was put under a 24-hour watch. So the effort to get her back took on a new urgency. Objections were overcome as it grew into a popular cause. The head of the Sea Shepherd Society took a lead role, new owners of the marine park gave in and the rich owner of a sports team (moved by watching the movie Avatar) offered to pay the cost. The film, made by B.C. directors Sarah Sharkey Pearce and Simon Schneider, follows every step and argument and is compelling to watch. And highly emotional with an ending you don’t expect. (In theaters: VIFF Centre in Vancouver now, the Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto, April 12 and streaming on CRAVE starting Earth Day, April 22) 4 out of 5 FREAKY TALES: Another solid performance by Pedro Pascal and a surprise cameo by a huge star are about all I can recommend in this stumbling film. It tells four stories and connects them only loosely, the main connection being that they all take place in Oakland, California back in 1987. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who wrote and directed the movie, are from there, and they may see more connection than most of us. I’ve seen praise that the film reflects that place and that time perfectly. That’s OK if you have fond memories of your own of the local places and events that are referenced. Like a legendary basketball performance by a Golden State Warriors player named Sleepy Floyd. His character figures in one of these stories. Others figure more widely: a debt-collector (Pascal) grieving the loss of his wife, Courtesy of Cineplex Filmsa bad guy known as The Guy (Ben Mendelsohn, also solid), rappers singing some of the smuttiest lyrics ever, punks dancing wild to a very loud band and skinheads who attack them. They’re called Nazis, show up in all four stories and constitute something of a throughline. There are supernatural elements – like a bus flying into the sky and animated line drawings laid into some scenes—and a recurring ad for a psychological counseling service. What they’ve got to do with each other is obscure and an ending after some very graphic violence doesn’t manage the connection it is trying to make. There’s one terrific scene in a video store as a clerk (played by Tom Hanks) shows off his movie knowledge. Too brief to save this movie though. (In theaters) 2 out of 5
Placer County author Mariah Clark Skewes brings empathy to life in her children’s books
Mariah Clark Skewes transforms her experiences into children’s books, exploring different social skills and imagination.
PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — If you believe you’ve seen everything in quirky children’s books, think again! Placer County author Mariah Clark Skewes never imagined she would retire and write children’s books for a living, but that idea eventually became a reality as she transformed characters and stories into real-life scenarios through her writing. She writes under the pseudonym Mariah Clark Skewes, as Mary Boyle is her real name.
Before becoming an author, Clark Skewes was an educator who spent many years learning about how the mind works in youth and adults regarding behavior and learning challenges.
“I really want people to understand there’s a reason for those things and to be kind, and to accept,” she said. “You don’t have to accept all the behavior or the language, but have an understanding of where it comes from and have some empathy toward others that maybe you’re a little bit different.”
Her teaching experience and philosophy inspire her to write meaningful stories about her experiences. Her books are about young children and adults who struggle with various interests, talents, social skills and personalities that sometimes don’t conform to societal norms.
Clark Skewes’ new book, Smudge, explores struggles amid challenges. The story follows a little boy who believes an imaginary monster, Smudge, is creating messes throughout the house when he’s the one doing it. The book encourages readers to accept imagination and exploration are perfectly okay.
“They can explore it in fantasy rather than doing it in reality,” she said. “Kids can explore things they’re curious about, maybe the character in a story is doing something naughty or something they shouldn’t, and a child wonders should I behave like that?”
Clark Skewes’ teaching and volunteer experience have influenced her writing, too. Working with students from diverse backgrounds, many of whom have faced trauma, taught her the importance of looking beyond behavioral issues and accepting different skills.
Clark Skewes volunteered at Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in foster care, where she learned about ‘resiliency.’ Through her volunteer work, she’s witnessed firsthand the resilience of children navigating challenging circumstances and reflects that in some of the stories she writes.
“Some of the children I’ve met in foster care where they are kind of creating their own rules, not anything nefarious or terrible, but perhaps not quite following directions exactly as they been given,” she said. “I really enjoy adding that element into my characters, and I find that a lot in terms of children in foster care.”
Clark Skewes is already a step ahead as she continues her writing and volunteering journey. She is working on her next book, Pudge, which features a therapy dog who overcomes fear and anxiety after being rejected from foster care and adopted.
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Sarah Jessica Parker and mother talk about their love of books at Adelphi University Writers and Readers festival
Long before she was Carrie Bradshaw or little Orphan Annie, Sarah Jessica Parker was a lover of books.”There is something about holding a book which commands you. It’s sort of like really committing to a relationship in a different kind of way for me,” Parker said to a full audience at a panel titled “The Books That Built Our Souls.”Parker, 60, her mother Barbara Forste, 86, and award-winning author and playwright Adriana Trigiani, as moderator, spoke to a full room of students, teachers, and creatives about how their lives were impacted by books and the importance of accessible educational programming.The panel was a part of Adelphi University’s second annual Writers and Readers Festival, a two-day event that features panels and keynotes, professional development workshops, and conversations about the art and business of publishing.”Sarah Jessica is interested in worlds, worlds populated by characters that we may never meet in time and place,” Trigiani said.Forste, who said she was rewarded with trips to the library by her own mother, said she still remembers the name of the children’s librarian, Mary Peters, who always had a book for her.”I don’t remember any of the other children, but I remember her saying, ‘Here’s a book you will like.”That passion for literature was passed down from Forste to Parker.As one of eight children, Parker said money wasn’t abundant growing up, but her mother never let that stop them from living the best life possible.Cincinnati funded a variety of art programs, which the family often took advantage of. Parker said Forste also “made it her business” to find affordable tickets and scholarships for her children to take dance lessons, music lessons, and drama lessons.Forste also always made her children leave the house with a book in case they became bored.”She just made it her business to make sure that she wrung out every possibility for us,” Parker said.The panel began with an introduction by Adelphi alumna and novelist Alice Hoffman, 73, author of more than 40 works of fiction, including Practical Magic.Trigiani asked Parker and Forste a series of questions about formative books they hold dear, such as the first book they remembered reading and owning, comparing Jane Eyre to Wuthering Heights, and whether it’s important for a main character to have a moral compass.Telling untold perspectives is one thing Parker said she looks for when reading manuscripts for her book imprint SJP Lit with independent publisher Zando Projects in 2022. For example, its upcoming April 8 launch of “These Days” by Lucy Caldwell, tells the story of women in Belfast, Ireland during WWII.”I think what’s most interesting as a reader is being with people that aren’t like ourselves, that don’t obey the rules by which we choose to live and see what they make of their worlds,” Parker said.By
Naval Academy’s full list of nearly 400 books on race, gender pulled from library
The U.S. Naval Academy released the list of nearly 400 pieces of literature removed from its library that explored themes of white supremacy, race and racism in America, gender identity and sexuality and diversity. The book removals follow executive orders from the Trump administration.Titles from prominent Black politicians Stacey Abrams and Bakari Sellers, literary luminary Maya Angelou, activists Ibram X. Kendi and Tamika D. Mallory and a host of historians and academicians were among the removed books. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning, New York Times best-selling “How to be an Antiracist” topped the list. Fiction novels, such as Mohsin Hamid’s “The Last White Man” and Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give,” which also became a popular film with the same title, were also eliminated from the library’s collection.The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors.
Book celebrates work, struggles of Helena preacher who died 102 years earlier
For his recent book, “The Spirit of Justice,” former Helena schoolteacher Jemar Tisby sought out, as the subtitle puts it, “True Stories of Faith, Race and Resistance.”Although he scoured the country for heroic figures, he didn’t have to go far to find one of his best examples. Elias Camp “E.C.” Morris, a trailblazing Black preacher, had been a towering figure more than a century ago — not only in Phillips County but across the country.When he wasn’t preaching at Centennial Baptist Church, Morris was building up a national religious organization that continues to this day.”He stood as the first president of the largest religious body of Black Christians in the country, the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. They formed in 1895 and he was president from 1895 until his death in 1922,” Tisby said.”This is not just a major figure in Black Christian history. This is a major figure in American religious history, and not enough people know his name,” Tisby said.Originally from Georgia, Morris studied in Tennessee, then headed out west in search of a better life. He made it as far as the west bank of the Mississippi River before stopping and putting down roots in the Delta.While the state is part of the American heartland today, it was still viewed as frontier country 150 years ago.”Arkansas was the West in the 19th century, and it was seen as a place of opportunity for Black people,” Tisby said.In 1879, Morris was chosen to lead Centennial Baptist Church. Under his leadership, it flourished, Tisby said.”It was a megachurch for the time. It had 1,000 members” he said.That figure is all the more impressive given Helena’s size — 3,652 residents in 1880 and 9,112 toward the end of Morris’ life.Morris was “an excellent preacher, leader, administrator,” Tisby said.When he wasn’t delivering sermons, Morris was fighting to eliminate injustice, Tisby said. He was active in the Republican Party, struggling to prevent Blacks from being politically disenfranchised. And he also rallied support for the Elaine 12, a dozen Black men sentenced to die after all-white juries convicted them for their supposed involvement in the Elaine Massacre of 1919.Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened, swayed by the argument that the defendants had been “hurried to conviction under the pressure of a mob without any regard for their rights and without according to them due process of law.”The Helena preacher’s story is included not only in “The Spirit of Justice,” published in September, but also in “Stories of the Spirit of Justice,” which came out in January and is suitable for children ages 8-12.In addition to Morris, the books highlight dozens of other people who fought against injustice, enslavement and oppression.Tisby, a professor of history at Simmons College of Kentucky in Louisville, is also the author of “The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism,” a New York Times bestseller in 2020.He hopes his latest books will not only teach people about history but also inspire them to stand for what is right.”The spirit of justice isn’t just for people in the past. The spirit of justice is for people right now, and it’s for all of us,” he said.
U.S. Naval Academy removes 400 books that promote DEI from library
Lawmakers raise concerns over erasure of historical content
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. Naval Academy to review and remove books that promote “diversity, equity, and inclusion” from its library this week.
Academy officials began an initial review to assess the library late last week and flagged approximately 900 books for further examination, the Associated Press reported.
Those books included “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.,” “Einstein on Race and Racism,” and a biography of Jackie Robinson, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Officials ultimately selected nearly 400 to be removed, starting the process on Monday and completing it before Hegseth’s (pictured) visit Tuesday, the AP reported. However, the academy has not released a full list of the books that were removed.
The review follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January to remove all DEI policies and practices from federal agencies.
“All service academies are fully committed to executing and implementing President Trump’s Executive Orders,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday.
“The U.S. Naval Academy is fully committed to executing and implementing all directives outlined in executive orders issued by the president and is currently reviewing the Nimitz Library collection to ensure compliance,” Navy spokesman Tim Hawkins told The New York Times.
He also said the academy’s library in Annapolis, Maryland, contains about “590,000 books, 322 databases, and more than 5,000 print journals and magazines,” The New York Times reported.
Defense Secretary Hegseth has urged the Department of Defense to eliminate DEI programs and online content. However, lawmakers have pushed back due to concern about the erasure of military heroes and historical references from websites and social media accounts, the AP reported.
“In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light,” the outlet reported.
For example, on Monday, Naval Academy staff restored photos of notable female Jewish graduates from a display after they were removed during the review ahead of Hegseth’s visit.
Amid the review of DEI materials at the academy, a separate legal challenge is unfolding that targets another aspect of diversity initiatives.
A civil liberties group, Students for Fair Admissions, is currently challenging racial considerations in admissions at the Naval Academy in court, The College Fix previously reported.
SFFA is appealing a federal judge’s December ruling that upheld the U.S. Naval Academy’s use of race in admissions, arguing it serves a compelling national security interest in maintaining a diverse officer corps.
The group has also filed lawsuits against the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, challenging similar policies.
MORE: Naval professor’s new book flags leftist ideology infiltrating military
IMAGE CREDIT AND CAPTION: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth discusses new standards for combat; Media Magik Entertainment/Youtube
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