AAPF Books Unbanned (TM) Author Talk Featuring Nic Stone

On February 21, 2023, AAPF hosted it’s second Author Talk as a part of the #TruthBeTold Books Unbanned: From Freedom Riders to Freedom Readers Book Club with Dear Martin Author, Nic Stone. Dr. Tanishia Williams (AAPF, Critical Race Theory Research Associate) and Dr. Venus Evans-Winters (AAPF, Black Girls Initiatives Research Coordinator) moderated a multi-part conversation with Stone about racial identity, racial consciousness, coming of age, the importance of Black representation in young adult literature, and her inspirations for writing the book, Dear Martin. To cap of an evening of insightful discussion, participants heard from a special guest, Nic Stone’s Father, Mr. Tony Bouie, who shared with us his thoughts and disappointment about police violence as a retired police officer and his pride and inspiration for daughter’s body of work. The evening concluded with ways for participants to fight against book bans and anti-CRT legislation at the national, state, and local levels.
Books Unbanned: From Freedom Riders to Freedom Readers is a book club series intended to educate, enlighten, and empower all ages to engage in reading and critical thinking about invaluable pieces of literature and contemporary issues. Honoring the sacrifice and commitment of the Freedom Riders who risked their lives in pursuit of civil justice, we come together as Freedom Readers to create a long-lasting impact to build open and inclusive learning communities that together will shore up the foundations of multiracial democracy. We seek to bring awareness of the banning of books authored by Black and LGBTQ+ authors and to increase critical thinking, voter engagement, and understanding of how the suppression of knowledge connects to other forms of oppression, namely voter suppression and anti-CRT legislation.