Racial Justice Book Clubs
Support a network of 30 book clubs across the state focused on racial justice and community resilience
Support a network of 30 book clubs across the state focused on racial justice and community resilience
Project Leader(s): Ami Cook, WVU Extension Service
Collaborator(s): Extension volunteers across the state
The WVU Extension Service Resilience and Recovery Taskforce is a collaborative body of faculty from Family and Community Development, 4H and Youth Development, and Agriculture working together to build community resilience through social justice and inclusion. The Taskforce will host a statewide book club focusing on racial justice that educates faculty and community volunteers. They have selected the book, “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” which chronicles the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. The book is lauded for its historical detail and accuracy written in a scholarly fashion while remaining readable.
The book club will be offered to 30 county-based faculty members, and the Taskforce will facilitate statewide conversations. Provided with a set of five books, each faculty member will host a book club in their home county with at least five community volunteers. By engaging county-based faculty and community volunteers, discussions will be enhanced by varying perspectives that encourage people to explore and discover personal meanings of a text through their interaction with fellow participants.