Featuring “Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights,
and Murder in the Jazz Age”
Kevin Boyle, author of the 2011-12 Great Michigan Read book “Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age,” will appear at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, for a discussion and book signing on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 7 pm. The appearance, which is free and open to the public, caps a six-day tour across Michigan.
“Kevin Boyle is not only a great storyteller and recipient of the National Book Award for Arc of Justice, he is a great speaker and expert of a landmark trial that helped set the course of the civil rights movement,” said Katie Wolf, executive director of the Michigan Humanities Council.
“The Great Michigan Read author’s tour is a keystone of a year-long effort to engage Michigan readers to join together and explore Michigan’s rich history. Particularly, this very compelling story of a man and set of events, served as a wake-up call for our state and our nation. It’s not every day that you have the opportunity to participate in an event like this, join in a statewide discussion, and ponder what you would have done if you were Dr. Sweet, a neighbor, a police officer or served on the jury.”
“Arc of Justice” tells the story of African American Dr. Ossian Sweet and the chain of events that occurred after he purchased a home for his family in an all-white Detroit neighborhood in 1925. The book won the 2004 National Book Award for nonfiction, was named a 2005 Michigan Notable Book, and was picked for the Great Michigan Read by a group of nearly 50 librarians, teachers, students, professors, authors and more from across the state.
Boyle will tour six sites throughout Michigan on his author tour. The schedule is as follows:
- Saturday, Oct. 22 at 2 pm at the Alpena County Library (Alpena) www.alpenalibrary.org
- Sunday, Oct. 23 at 2 pm at the Peter White Public Library (Marquette) www.uproc.lib.mi.us/pwpl
- Monday, Oct. 24 at 7 pm at the Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids) www.grpl.org
- Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 6 pm at the Capital Area District Library and Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Lansing) www.cadl.org/
- Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 pm at the Flint Public Library (Flint) www.flint.lib.mi.us/
- Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 pm at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit) www.TheWright.org
The Great Michigan Read is a free statewide humanities initiative inviting Michiganians to read and participate in book discussions and events in their hometowns. Intended for young adults to senior citizens, the Great Michigan Read aims to make literature more accessible and appealing, while also encouraging residents to learn more about their state.
For more information on the author tour or how your organization can get involved in the Great Michigan Read, please contact Greg Parker at gparker@mihumanities.org or (517) 372-7770. The Great Michigan Read is presented by the Michigan Humanities Council with support from Meijer and the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information on the Great Michigan Read program, please visitwww.michiganhumanities.org/
About the Michigan Humanities Council
The Michigan Humanities Council is a private, nonprofit organization created to foster a better understanding of each other and our state through local cultural, historical and literary experiences for all. The Council was founded in 1974 and is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and individual donors. For more information on future programs, upcoming grant opportunities or how you can support these efforts, please visit www.michiganhumanities.org or call (517) 372-7770.
About The Wright Museum
Founded in 1965 and located at 315 East Warren Avenue in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is the world’s largest institution dedicated to the African American experience. For more information, please visit www.TheWright.org.
