About book club 

The People's Saturday School's Book Club is a transformative learning community. Once a month, we will work through a book written by a movement elder or ancestor and engage in honest and vulnerable dialogue about the themes of colonialization, police brutality, mass incarceration, love and resistance. Together, we aim to develop tools to better analyze our material conditions and work toward collective liberation. Book Club meetings will take place on the second Saturday of each month from 10am-12pm at 30 Ashley Street, Hartford, Connecticut, starting on Saturday, April  12th. 

Space is limited! Please register no later than the 1st Saturday of the month for each month’s session. You are welcome, but not required to register for multiple or all sessions. 

This month's text is accessible digitally via this link. When possible, we will provide registered participants a free digital copy of the selected text. If not, participants are responsible for getting a copy of the text from a local public library or bookstore.

 Coffee, tea, and pastries will be provided. 

High quality masks (i.e. KN95, N95) will be offered and encouraged. A HEPA air purifier will be in use in the meeting space and windows will be open for ventilation, weather permitting. Please stay home if you are experiencing any flu or COVID-19 symptoms, or have had a recent COVID-19 exposure.

About the text

The book for May is The Autobiography of Malcom X by Malcom X and Alex Haley.  In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless.  

About the author

Malcolm X  was an African American revolutionary, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until has assassination in 1965. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI) until 1964 after which he left the movement, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of  Islam within the African American community. A controversial figure accused of preaching violence, Malcolm X is also a widely celebrated figure within African American and Muslim communities for his pursuit of racial justice.

About the facilitator 

Jose is a Puerto Rican socialist, artist and nerd surviving in the belly of the beast. They are a founding member of The People’s Saturday School and an educator working with youth in Hartford. They deeply believe in the people’s ability to heal and transform, and in a world free of the empire. Jose loves being a papa and is dedicated to raising their bebé in a world that prioritizes people, community and care. 

Any questions? Please contact saturdaycooperative@gmail.com.