For our February 11th meeting, the Centering BIPOC Voices Book Group will discuss “Home Going” by Yaa Gyasi, 2016, about two sisters and their descendants. In the 1770s, one sister was sold into slavery, and the other became a slave trader’s wife. Gyasi takes us from the Gold Coast of Africa to the plantations of Mississippi in a heartbreaking story of their descendants’ lives.

For March, the book is “Chokehold: Policing Black Men” by Paul Butler, 2017. With the eloquence of Ta Nehisi Coates and the persuasive research of Michelle Alexander, a former federal prosecutor explains how the system really works, and how to disrupt it. Chokehold means “laws and practices that treat every African American man like a thug.” The system is working exactly the way it’s supposed to. Black men are always under watch, and police violence is widespread—all with the support of judges and politicians. After recently seeing the violent scenes from the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Butler’s description of the problems and his recommendations to keep communities safer, without relying as much on police, will foster a great discussion.

Future book selections are:

April – Carry by Toni Jensen (2020 memoir)
May – Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People by Ben Crump (2019 non-fiction)
June – The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou (1981 memoir)

The group meets via Zoom at 3:30 PM on the second Saturday of the month and welcomes new group members, as well as one-time and occasional attendees. All books selected are available in paper, e-book, and audible versions to enhance accessibility. For more information about the group or to join one of the monthly discussions, contact: BIPOC.books@uutallahassee.org