PBS Utah has partnered with the MLK Commission for our Book Club in a Box program. We will host a King Conversation in the form a discussion about the book Coming of Age in Mississippi and the KUED production Utah's Freedom Riders. Dr. Karen Johnson from the University of Utah will lead a discussion and filmmaker Nancy Green will be available to answer questions. Check out the book at your local library and come prepared for an in-depth discussion!

Seating is limited. Please RSVP to ldurham@pbsutah.org

During the era of racial segregation, in the United States (1896-1964), Blacks were subjected to a federal law that mandated the separation of Blacks from Whites, in public facilities, housing, education, public transportation, etc. Still, Blacks and other civil rights activists, fought to dismantle racism, in places of public accommodations. It is in this socio-historical context that we learn about Anne Moody, in her award-winning autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi. As a poor Black female, growing up in rural Mississippi, during the era of racial segregation, Moody dedicated her life to fighting against segregation, as a college student activist. Similarly, in PBS Utah’s documentary, Utah’s Freedom Riders, we encounter several Utahns, such as Reverend France A. Davis and the late Archie Archuletta, among others, who contributed to the struggle toward building a more just and equitable nation, during the Civil Rights Movement. In both the memoir and film, discover how ordinary citizens’ social actions helped transform U.S. politics and society, for the betterment of all.