Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Black History Month Reading-FREE Ebooks

Today begins Black History Month in which we celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and take a sobering look at how far we have to go to achieve equality for people of color.

As a Floridian, I watch with horror as our governor tries to erase black history in Florida and marginalize people of color, banning books from classrooms so students can't learn about Rosa Parks Frederick Douglass, or Martin Luther King Jr., or read books by Toni Morrison. It's gut-wrenching and, together, we need to raise our voices in opposition.

Ironically, the only thing Governor DeSantis ever did for the black community was posthumously pardon the Groveland Four and he wouldn't have if it weren't politically advantageous at the time.

The Groveland Four were four young black men falsely convicted of a heinous crime in Jim Crow Florida in 1949. Their story is all too familiar but stands out because Thurgood Marshall chose to represent them in their appeal. Gilbert King told the story of this shameful chapter in Florida history in his Pulitzer Prize winning book: Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America.

After reading this book in college for an assignment, my son Josh decided to help the families pursue posthumous pardons for the men and, after four years and many setbacks, he was successful.

If you would like to read about his quest for justice and become inspired to start your own, I'm giving away FREE EBOOKS of our book: "Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four" for the entire month of February. 

Blurb:

Discover the incredible four-year quest for justice for The Groveland Four, and learn how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be.

Accidental Activist is a primer for positive action, and a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn by reading this book:

    Everything takes more time than you think 

    Nothing ever goes according to plan

    Help can come from unexpected places

    Time is on your side

    Everyone is connected

    You can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it

    Your goals can change along the way

    Flexibility is key

Let's get started, shall we?

Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Activist-Justice-Groveland-Four-ebook/dp/B07Z5TYNT7/ref=sr_1_15?crid=1ZL1Y6Z6J91R0&keywords=barbara+venkataraman&qid=1675270554&sprefix=%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-15

 

 

 

1 comment:

  1. When you start looking around, it seems like we haven't gotten too far.

    ReplyDelete