Journey back Inside The Blanket Fort as we honor Black History Month with a discussion of two exciting new titles from SIU Press. The first book, “Organizing Freedom: Black Emancipation Activism in the Civil War Midwest,” is by Jennifer Harbour. It details a riveting and significant social history of black emancipation activism in Indiana and Illinois during the Civil War era.
Our second selection, which will be published in April 2022, is “A Brick and a Bible: Black Women’s Radical Activism in the Midwest during the Great Depression” by Melissa Ford. It connects the activism of Black women who championed justice during the Great Depression to those involved in the Ferguson Uprising and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Also, be sure and catch the latest installment of the Blanket Fort Radio Theater podcast of “The Undaunted Women of Nanking.” Blanket Fort Radio Theater is a storytelling initiative of SIU Press in collaboration with the SIU Creative Writing Program and WSIU Radio.