In her Pulitzer Prize-winning history Franchise, acclaimed historian Marcia Chatelain explains how the story of McDonald’s intersected with the civil rights movement. Chatelain will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis on February 8.
In Power Hungry, author Suzanne Cope profiles Aylene Quin, a restaurant owner in McComb, Mississippi, and Memphis resident Cleo Silvers, who ran free breakfast programs for the Black Panther Party. By feeding people, they advanced the Black struggle for freedom.
Memphis writer Wayne Dowdy makes another critical contribution to local history with Enslavement in Memphis.
In his award-winning book, Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor, Princeton professor Rob Nixon looks at writer-activists and environmental justice across the Global South. Nixon will give the Naseeb Shaheen Memorial Lecture, hosted online by the University of Memphis on November 18.
In Why Bushwick Bill Matters, Charles Hughes explains the impact of an iconic hip-hop artist. He roots the story in both his academic training as a historian and his personal experience as person of short stature.
In Memphis Hoops, Keith B. Wood examines how basketball promoted racial unity in Memphis, while also reflecting the city’s persistent prejudices. It centers around Larry Finch, a local legend as both player and coach.
