Glennor Shirley, library coordinator for the Maryland Correctional Education Libraries is one member of the One Maryland One Book selection committee who felt strongly about the 2010 selection Outcasts United. Read her comments below.

“I have just finished reading Outcasts United by Warren St. John.  Here are some of the reasons I felt so passionately about this book.”

“First of all, it is the classic American immigrant story. Because this issue is so important, it is sure to inspire dialog among Marylanders. Prejudice is not only felt among racial lines, but also among different social classes, various immigrant groups—and among Africans and African Americans.”

“It is also the story of gender. Luma Mufleh, the woman who coaches the Fugees, is from Jordan, a country and society where women’s roles are prescribed. A woman who defies her culture to explore her own path is a story that will surely inspire readers.”

“It is a story of determination, kindness, caring, and overcoming obstacles. It is a story about young children and adaptation to a new culture. It is a story about resisting and accepting inevitable change in order to survive. It is a story that deals with some of the issues that effect us especially in Baltimore—gangs, for example. It is the story of hope and the quest for freedom and economic survival. (Isn’t that that why people come to America?)”

“It is also a story about women—mothers and daughters who struggle to keep their families together and the obstacles they face in a strange land.”

“So have I convinced you to pick up a copy of Outcasts United today?”

What do you think? Have you read Outcasts United?

Leave your comments below.

Lauren White, a senior at Huntingtown High School in Calvert County, was kind enough to share with us her essay on why History Day is important to her.

“The American poet, Robert Penn Warren, once wrote, ‘History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves…’ Read the rest of this entry »

This week, eight Maryland students who won recognition at Maryland History Day 2009 garnered more congratulations and awards. Students Ryan Burton, Faith Chung, Alanna Natanson, Christopher Perdue, Nathan Rehr, and Lauren White, along with instructor Terri O’Connell, Maryland History Day Teacher of the Year, received citations for their achievements from both the House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate at the January 25, 2010 session. Read the rest of this entry »

Selecting a title each year for One Maryland One Book is quite a
challenge. We receive so many great suggestions each year that it’s
always difficult to narrow down our choices to just one that will
appeal to lots of folks across the state–and we do want it to have
broad appeal. We want you to pick up THE book because it piques your
interest, because you want to read it, because you like to read, because One
Maryland One Book gives you a great excuse to make time in your life
for a book, because your book club is always looking for its next great
read, because you really like the idea of reading a book and getting
together with others in your community to discuss your thoughts on it.

We have our Top 10 and hope to have THE book for 2010 chosen by late
February. This year we are looking for a book that will allow us to
focus our discussions on community. Take a look at our list and give us your comments here about which book would be a great read this fall.

On January 18, Martin Luther King Day, the Maryland Humanities Council recalls that we began our Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Remembrance and Reconciliation special initiative in 2007 with the question “Where are we 40 years after Dr. King’s assassination?” As Marylanders looked back to consider Dr. King’s legacy and assess how far we have come–as individuals, as communities, and as a nation–our nation elected Barack Obama as President. When the first person of color took the oath of our nation’s highest office, we as a people felt uplifted that the scourge of racism had been ameliorated sufficiently to achieve this result.

In November 2009, at MHC’s culminating program for the Dr. King initiative, “Music of the Movement: A Sustaining Voice,” an audience member questioned if we today live in a post-racial society, now that Obama is President. Program participant Congressman John Lewis answered, “We have come very far since the days of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. But too many people today are left out and left so far behind. We have to continue to agitate, to push–we all have roles to play…”

As we continue to play out these roles, will we look back to the election of 2008 as a new defining moment in the long history of the struggle for racial equality? When MHC asks in 2048, “Where are we 40 years later?” will we view Obama’s election as a benchmark of success equal in symbolic importance to the 1968 assassination of Dr. King?

Let us know what you think.

With the passing of each season, marked as it is by the interesting programs of the Maryland Humanities Council, I have to reflect on how proud I am to be a volunteer. The MHC is a place where I can use my talents and my passion for literature and learning for the good of the greater community.  There are lots of projects to work on with smart, can-do people.  The staff is always thankful for even the smallest contribution.  Though I am not a native Marylander, I gained an appreciation of the diversity across the state.  The rewards of public service are never trivial.

The truth is that I have gotten much more out of working at the MHC than I expected.

Thomas Ventimiglia, MHC Volunteer

As 2009 draws to a close, the Maryland Humanities Council is asking for your support through our year-end appeal for donations. (Click here to donate safely through our website.) Why? As a private non-profit organization, we raise private funds to underwrite the costs of our programs, which inspire, empower, and enlighten over 1 million Marylanders annually. Read the rest of this entry »

If you were able to join us for Music of the Movement: A Sustaining Voice at Montgomery College’s Performing Arts Center I think you will agree that it was a fantastic evening!  For those who remember the gut wrenching efforts to produce changes in Civil Rights legislation nationally in the 1960s, the program was a reminder of the tragic moments, the victories and the songs that celebrated both.
Read the rest of this entry »

Marylanders have always been in the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. An honor roll of famous Marylanders–Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson, Carl Murphy, Parren Mitchell–were passionate advocates for Civil Rights. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Lucas offers his thoughts on his book discussion of James McBride’s Song Yet Sung.

“On October 3, 2009, I had the honor to facilitate one of the One Maryland One Book discussions on James McBride’s, Song Yet Sung.  Nine people attended our very lively discussion and all were fascinated with this incredible piece of living literature. Read the rest of this entry »