In July 1968 on the hottest day of the year, a riot erupted in the Lane-Wooster neighborhood. City officials were terrified in light of the riot in Detroit the summer before. And so, before the crack of dawn, the National Guard rolled into the city. When the sun rises, The Red Cross has a little mobile truck waiting, ready to serve the soldiers with free coffee and sandwiches.
The neighborhood, filled with residents struggling to get by thanks to systems and structures white people wanted to deny existed, had to watch hundreds of soldiers line up for their free sustenance.
One bar owner, Rose, and some of the children of her costumers decided to make a statement. They dragged a table outside and set it up across the way from the Red Cross truck. They put up a sign and stacked cold pop cans and water on top, free for anyone in the neighborhood. It was a quiet, nonviolent, but direct confrontation to the city and the soldiers.
But Rose, who by her own admission was not a quiet woman, couldn't help egging on the soldiers when they looked her way. "You know you don't want hot coffee, warm as it is out here," she called out. "Put down that gun and come get you a refreshing pop." Her big laugh piercing the air between the two groups.
I dont know if any of the soldiers took her up on her offer, but I love this story because every day actions like these- even during the week of a riot- often go untold. We see broken windows, looted product, smoking buildings... but rarely are the stories on the ground brought to the light. But these stories are just as important for understanding the freedom movement- the push and pull of non-violence even in the midst of violence. Stories like these force us to ask questions like- why do we not consider it violent to watch a city readily feed a guest police force and while potentially hungry residents watch?
History is still teaching us, if we let it.
These are the stories I have been searching for over the last year in Akron, OH. But now I'm heading to five more cities. And I want share everything I learn with you, through a free web series that will be available on Youtube.
I have much of the equipment I need to push record. But to really do this series justice, I want to travel to the next cities, just as I did in Akron, getting in archival boxes and finding primary sources. Funds toward flights (or gas) and hotel stays for myself and a research assistant would be a game changer for this project.
The other major expense is my team, and I'd love to introduce you!
Please meet:
Tracy: You probably remember Tracy as the cohost of early podcast breakout Another Round. She is a phenomenal media producer and writer having worked on podcasts, web series, and the like for more than a decade.
Stevnique: is an incredible illustrator and animator who is passionate about representing the full humanity of Black people in her work. We are uninterested in AI, preferring to use the talent and POV of a Black woman to make this show special.
Brooke: Every project needs an operations person, and in this case, Brooke also functions as a research assistant. For Akron alone, I have already collected 1,000+ pages of stories... but those are still needles in a haystack compared the archival information contained in various libraries- both local and national. Brooke helps me make sure I find (and cite) what I need.
I want to pay these women well for their time, talent and skill. If you are looking for an opportunity to support entrepreneurial, freelance, Black women- we'd be grateful for the support.
Our first episodes will release in the spring of 2027. And, of course, I'll keep you updated on all the details as the project continues to take shape.
I'll be back in a few days give you a little preview! Then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming.
*PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO BOOKSHOP.ORG, WHICH MEANS I RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE A PURCHASE USING THE BOOK LINKS. I WILL BE USING SAID COMMISSION TO FEED MY BOOK ADDICTION, OFFER YOU MORE REVIEWS, AND AROUND AND AROUND WE GO. THE COMMISSION DOES NOT COST YOU ANYTHING, AND I WILL ALWAYS LET YOU KNOW IF I RECEIVED ANY OF THE BOOKS FOR FREE99.
Book List
June Jordan's Poetry for the People details how to build a grassroots poetry program through a collection of strategies, sample student work, course descriptions, and a step-by-step guide to organizing and promoting readings, alongside original writing from Adrienne Rich, Joy Harjo, Ntozake Shange, and Cornelius Eady.
Abrams would have been the first African American woman governor, but experienced these effects firsthand, despite running the most innovative race in modern politics as the Democratic nominee in Georgia. Abrams didn’t win, but she has not conceded. The book compellingly argues for the importance of robust voter protections, an elevation of identity politics, engagement in the census, and a return to moral international leadership.
The Fight Back is a field guide to meet this moment, written by someone who survived the dictator’s playbook firsthand. It’s grounded in frontline experience from different continents, with specific frameworks for immediate action in the age of AI. The postwar order is coming apart, and this book tells you how you can shape the world you want.
Welcome to the We're Still Here freestyle book club. For our next session, we'll be reading Imani Perry's Black in Blues. This gorgeous and heartbreaking but ever hopeful book will be the foundation of our session. Each week, I'll send you the breakdown of chapters to read. And every couple of days, I'll send you Advent reflections inspired by Imani's writing.
I chose A Blue Holiday for our theme because sometimes we need a safe place to hold the grief that can become more pronounced during the holidays. In full disclosure, I am still grieving the loss of my father- and perhaps always will. Maybe you are grieving a loved one, or perhaps another significant loss- a career, a home, a pet, a person. Perhaps you are grieving what you thought this year would bring, or maybe you are feeling a loss that took place a dozen years ago- one that the world tells you, you should be over by now. No matter what your blue looks like right now, may this be a safe place to honor it.
We'll get started the week of Thanksgiving and run through the first week of the New Year.
Austin Channing Brown is the author of NYT Bestseller and Reese Book Club pick, Im Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Her newest book, Full of Myself is already a USA Today bestseller but she's waiting to be placed on your bookshelf.
