Messiah Book Club

July 10, 2023 – led by Beth Ford On Juneteenth (Annette Gordon-Reed). The history of the Juneteenth holiday, and its true importance to American history.  The Messiah Lutheran Church book group, Diversity and Justice task force, and the community will discuss On Juneteenth by Harvard professor Annette Gordon-Reed who writes from both the points of view as a historian and as a native Texan. The book’s essays explore numerous situations that have informed the reality of Black Texans in the 156 years since the June 19, 1865, announcement of the end of slavery.  The panel includes the Honorable Robin Gunn, a juvenile court magistrate, and Devin DeVore, an attorney in private practice.  (Copies of the book are available at Knox County's Public Library, and it is a very quick read.)

September 18, 2023 – led by Valerie Biberdorf The Last Green Valley (Mark Sullivan). A novel of a Ukrainian family’s…