Civil Rights

[close] A group for readers to connect with Jonathan Emrys, author of "SCARECROWS: A DANDY World", the first book in his SCARECROWS SciFi/Futurist series. Here you can chat with him about his novels, characters, and future projects. Have a question about Lucy, Roscoe, Dr. Pratt, Chimei, or even Dickie? Ask it here.

[close] “Sustaining Democracy” is a book club sponsored by the Jefferson Center in Core Texts and Ideas. It provides UT Austin students a space in which to read and discuss key thinkers and texts, both canonical and contemporary, that lay the foundations for democratic and ethical governance. Readings will highlight the specific ways that ethical and democratic governance is undermined by authoritarianism, tribalism, and political corruption. This Goodreads group is for both UT and non-UT students who would like to follow along in our readings and discussion (see discussions). "Sustaining Democracy" book club meetings are open to the UT Austin community. For information on this Goodreads group, or to learn more about the book club, please contact Prof. Hina Azam at hina.azam@austin.utexas.edu.

[close] Hi! Brynn here! After talking to some friends, we thought it would be nice to start a bookclub where we can read and discuss books relating to civil disobedience, action-oriented solutions, and authoritarian survival. The hope is to create a supportive and safe place for us to become our best version of ourselves. Perhaps we can also read books about self-care, dealing with anxiety, and diversity.

[close] Hey yall, I'm Romeo. Back two years ago, one of my teachers gave me a book called the New Jim Crow and told me that before too long I'd have the kind of influence to make a difference in this world. I read it cover to cover and couldn't stop thinking about it. I have read more books about the inadequacies that are tolerated and encouraged in the United States that allow a small number of people to exercise absolute control over the rest of us. Give a person a badge and a gun and they can get away with anything, at least until you murder a man on video and people finally start wiping the sleep out of their eyes and asking questions. This is not a black vs. white group. This is group for people who are frustrated by the way some individuals and groups are allowed to exist above the law and control those of us who are below it. I have read some amazing books during the quarantine and talked to alot of cool people here. I want to hear your ideas and try to build ideas with you on how we can make change happen and stick. Killing each other in riots won't work. I can't wait to hear your ideas. It's a cheesy quote for what we gonna try to do here, but I'm going to quote the original pimp Billy Dee Williams from The Rise of Skywalker about how I feel about this. Poe Dameron says to the Rebels, "I'm sorry my friends, I thought we had a shot but there's just too many of them." Radio crackles and then here's Lando saying, "But there are more of us, Poe. There are more of US." Poe looks up and there's thousands of ships flying in to fight. One Imperial looks at the other and says, "Where did we get all these craft from? They have no Navy." The other Imperial says, "It's not a navy sir, it's just people." That's us right now. Just people. But there are more of us. RL