The next Let鈥檚 Talk About It book discussion series at 野狼社区 University will focus on how African Americans have worked to overcome obstacles like racism and marginalization in society on a quest for equal treatment.
The series opens at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10 with 鈥淎 Matter of Black and White: The Autobiography of Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher,鈥� presented by American women鈥檚 history specialist Sunu Kodumthara.
Fisher鈥檚 autobiography features her challenge to segregation laws while applying to attend an Oklahoma law school in 1946. As a volunteer 鈥渢est鈥� plaintiff for the NAACP, her case helped establish a precedent for the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Thurgood Marshall, who would later become the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice, was Fisher鈥檚 attorney.
The theme for this year鈥檚 Let鈥檚 Talk About It series is 鈥淥f Shadows and Light: Stories of African American Resilience.鈥�
Curator Tonnia L. Anderson said the series will be a deep exploration into how African Americans have worked toward justice and empowerment despite the difficulties they have faced historically 鈥� and even now.
鈥淐ollectively, these works not only give insight into the endeavor of trying to find a sense of place and belonging within American society, but also challenge us to reflect upon the meaning of the democratic ideals that bind Americans together,鈥� Anderson stated in her series essay.
OCU鈥檚 Jeanne Hoffman Smith Center for Film & Literature is hosting the series, which is sponsored by Oklahoma Humanities and funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities鈥� 鈥淎 More Perfect Union鈥� initiative.
All discussions begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Walker Center for Arts and Sciences room 151, located at NW 25th Street and Florida Avenue on the OCU campus.
Books for the series may be borrowed free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at OCU鈥檚 Dulaney-Browne Library circulation desk. Participants are also welcome to join the sessions with their own books.
Other upcoming sessions include:
- Sept. 24: 鈥淏etween the World and Me鈥� by Ta-Nehesi Coates
- Oct. 8: 鈥淐itizen: An American Lyric鈥� by Claudie Rankine
- Oct. 22: 鈥淭heir Eyes Were Watching God鈥� by Zora Neal Hurston
- Nov. 12: 鈥淭he Cross and the Lynching Tree鈥� by James H. Cone
For more information about the series, visit the Oklahoma Humanities website at .
