Just as we turn the corner on a new year, we also turn the corner on another RED BOOKS DAY! And this year we are remembering Claudia Jones, a fearless Caribbean-born Communist, cultural worker, and journalist whose life shows us what it means to be resilient in the face of persecution, and brave in the name of peace.
Red Books Day is an international celebration of progressive literature celebrated on February 21, the publication day of the Communist Manifesto! In this moment when left voices, publications, and organizations around the world are censored and criminalized, it is only more urgent to stand in solidarity with them and highlight their necessity for our liberation today.
Red Books Day is also Claudia Jones’ birthday! It couldn’t be a better time to celebrate such a monumental leftist writer who illuminated the connection between gender/race to working-class struggles, who was exiled for her work and beliefs, and who ultimately persevered, going on to found Britain’s pioneering Black newspaper, the West Indian Gazette, and the Notting Hill Carnival.
All Red Books Day events will be hybrid, except for the screen printing activity. Masks are available at the front desk. We will also be streaming the reading on our YouTube channel, and the collective reading workshop on Zoom (please register for the workshop here).
Weds Feb 21
4–7PM | SCREEN PRINTING + BOOK SWAP
Celebrate left art and culture and screen print for Red Books Day! Bring an old tee shirt, a blank tote, maybe even a jacket if you’re feeling brave! And don’t forget to share your Red Books with the community! Bring a book (or 2 or 3!) that you want someone else to read and add it to our table. We won’t ask you to bring your prized first edition of Capital but we won’t stop you… We’ll have sticky notes so you can pass along your own personal recommendation and story.
6–9PM | RED BOOKS DAY CELEBRATION!
Join us for a collective reading of the Communist Manifesto and selections of Claudia Jones’ works, along with screen-printing and cozy food and drinks!
Thurs Feb 22
6:30–8:30PM | COLLECTIVE READING WORKSHOP (RSVP FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE)
Build the skills for studying a text collectively in this workshop with TPF Education on how to approach a text for a liberatory reading practice, featuring texts from Claudia Jones!
