Black Feminist Book Club Reads - A Fighting Dream: The Political Writings of Claudia Jones

From the venue:

The Charis Black Feminist Book Club Returns! Many of you told us you missed participating in the first iteration of this book club, hosted by Dr. Susana Morris. We are excited to bring back The Black Feminist Book Club with former Charis bookseller, Yemisi Combahee at the helm! 

This group will now meet regularly in-person at Charis on the first Sunday of each month at 3pm.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Donate online at www.chariscircle.org/donate or in person at the event.

About the book club:
The Black Feminist Book Club reads books written by Black transgender, gender expansive, and/or women writers, which center the liberation, struggle, and lived experiences of oppressed people/marginalized groups through a Black feminist perspective. The group celebrates classic and contemporary Black authors of fiction and nonfiction, all in the comfort of a historic feminist bookstore where many of these authors once read or shared their works!  Our goal is for these texts to be welcoming and accessible regardless of your background or familiarity with the books.Yemisi Combahee, a senior organizer with Black Feminist Future is the facilitator of this group. All community members are invited to attend with the acknowledgment that this is a space that centers Black women and gender expansive folks' thoughts, creativity, and lived experiences. We encourage folks to read the months book before our gathering but it is not required - come as you are, regardless of how much you've read!

About our September book pick
A Fighting Dream: The Political Writings of Claudia Jones

Claudia Jones stood at many crossroads. Her world was one of heated battles for Black liberation, of anti-fascism in the build-up to World War II, of national liberation struggles across the Global South, of the US government persecuting her and her comrades for their activism and membership in the Communist Party. And as a Black woman, she was also determined to bring to light how race and gender are embedded in and essential to the struggles of the working class.

At a time when the hegemony of imperialism and capitalism remain strong while new contradictions and signs of struggle arise, Jones’ political writings are a lesson in identifying the most urgent tasks for moving socialism, the political project of the working class, forward. From her poetry, to newspaper articles, to pamphlets, to speeches, A Fighting Dream: The Political Writings of Claudia Jones brings her to us as she was: unrelenting, fearless, and a Communist.

Claudia Jones challenges us all to stand with our principles, to build organization, and to clearly see how understanding the intersectional aspects of our struggle is crucial for the liberation of humanity and the planet.

 
Upcoming Books:

October: Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
November: We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba

In-person event guidelines:

All attendees must wear a face mask.
We will begin seating people at 2:45 PM ET.
As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request specific accessibility accommodations, please contact info@charisbooksandmore.com or call the store at 404-524-0304

By attending our event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Unsolicited sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.