Kellogg Community College’s Emory Morris Library and Center for Diversity and Innovation are partnering with the Lakeview High School Library to offer a special presentation focused on the themes found in this year’s Great Michigan Read selection, “X: A Novel.”
Noted African-American scholar Dr. Michelle S. Johnson will present “Placing X: A Novel in Michigan Cultural History,” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Lakeview High School’s Black Box Theater, 15060 Helmer Road S., Battle Creek. The event is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be provided.
“X: A Novel,” a young-adult novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon, is a fictionalized account of the early years of civil rights leader and human rights activist Malcolm X, exploring his Michigan roots and how his early life experiences shaped his future as a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.
Johnson is a public scholar in the fields of African-American history, literature and cultural production. Also a professor, Johnson currently consults on a Michigan Historical Museum project documenting the people, stories and places of black Michigan history. Johnson served as Freedom Trail coordinator for the State of Michigan from 2002 to 2008 and is a cofounder and former executive director of the nonprofit Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative in Kalamazoo.
The Great Michigan Read initiative is presented by the Michigan Humanities Council with support from Meijer and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The biennial, statewide literary program aims to connect readers by engaging them in literary discussion focused on one selected title.
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