In our January issue, we brought you the backstory of how a children’s book author prompted a new day in court for a group of civil rights activists known as the Friendship Nine, half a century after they served jail time for attempting to sit at a whites-only lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Due to the overwhelming response from our readers, this month we bring you coverage of the historical events that followed. […]
Reading Shakespeare in prisons is not new, but doing so in solitary confinement, with those considered to be the most dangerous and hardened inmates, was unheard of—until Laura Bates gave it a try. Laura’s book Shakespeare Saved My Life shares the success of her Supermax program and the transformation of convicted killer Larry Newton. Though he’ll spend his life in prison with no chance of parole, Larry says he’s free. Laura’s book has prompted other prisons to set up similar programs. […]
In her accomplished career as an editor and the bestselling author of more than thirty books about the African American experience, Andrea Davis Pinkney has become as inspiring as many of the historic figures she writes about. She felt an undeniable pull to write about the Darfur genocide in her latest novel, The Red Pencil. Even through the ugly filter of war, Andrea’s longtime message shines through: Hope and joy are for everyone. […]
