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By D.A. Reed
WKTV Contributor

Kent District Library (KDL) will be hosting a free preview event of Ebony Road Players’ production of Alabama Story from 6:30-7:30p.m. at the Grandville and Cascade Township branches May 17-18.

The Ebony Road Players will present a reading of “Alabama Story” May 17 and 18 at the KDL Grandville and Cascade branches. (Courtesy, Ebony Road Players, photo by Brian Greenleaf)

Founder and Executive Director of Ebony Road Players, Edye Evans Hyde, and cast members will share a reading from the play Alabama Story and discuss its relevance today.

“When we heard the story about the play (Hyde) was putting on, it just seemed like a natural fit,” said KDL Director of Engagement Randy Goble. “It’s a topic we hear about in the current day and time…(and) it’s seeing how something from the late 1950s is relevant today.”

The six-actor, one-set play written by Kenneth Jones gives voice to a little-known story about a librarian who was persecuted for protecting a children’s book titled The Rabbits’ Wedding.

The story of two rabbits

A children’s picture book written and illustrated by Garth Williams and published in 1958, The Rabbits’ Wedding depicts the love and wedding of two rabbits, one black and one white. The book was ridiculed as promoting interracial marriage, and Emily Wheelock Reed, director of the Alabama Library Service Division, became an advocate for The Rabbits’ Wedding.

KDL features a display about Loving Day, the anniversary of when interracial marriage laws were abolished. (Courtesy, KDL)

“We wanted to do (the preview) to support Ebony Road Players, but also because it is a very fascinating story that we want to help people and the community become more familiar with,” Goble said.

Alabama Story is being performed in conjunction with National Loving Day, an annual celebration held on the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision Loving v Virginia, which abolished interracial marriage laws on June 12, 1967.

“Unfortunately, a lot of things during the Civil Rights movement and this particular court case in 1967 is rearing its head again,” Hyde told WKTV. “I was searching for plays, and this one came up. I thought, this needs to be shown so people have an opportunity to see what’s going on now is not new.”

Telling multi-cultural stories

Since its inception as a non-profit theater organization in 2013, Ebony Road Players has provided a platform for narratives like Alabama Story that are not normally heard about or discussed.

Over the past 10 years, Hyde has not lacked for participants in ERP or viewers for their productions.

“It is a very multi-cultural group of people coming,” Hyde said. “They are understanding the need for these stories to be told on a consistent basis. People have been really open to it.”

A participant and one of only a handful of African Americans in Grand Rapids theater during the 1980s-1990s, Hyde began Ebony Road Players when she “realized the talent that is supposed to be here for telling these types of stories was not here. It hadn’t been cultivated.”

Hyde continued to say that she realized the real need was to build a talent pool that could be part of productions and opportunities that are not always given to people of color, and Hyde has been appreciative of the reception from the West Michigan arts community.

“We (Grand Rapids) have a pretty vibrant arts community, and we all work together,” she said.

A natural fit

Goble urges community members to come out for the Alabama Story preview. “If you would like a sneak peek, please come to the library at either of the two locations,” said Goble. “It’s going to be a fantastic introduction to the whole story.”

The May 17 performance will be at the KDL Grandville branch, 4055 Maple Ave. SW. The May 18 performances will be at the KDL Cascade branch, 2870 Jacksmith Ave. SE.

Ebony Road Players will be presenting the full production of Alabama Story June 8-11 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW. Information and tickets can be found here.

ERP is also collaborating with the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, 11 Sheldon Ave. NE, to host a Loving Day celebration for families on June 10 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. More information can be found here: Faces of Family: Growing Seeds of Love.

D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed Author

Jaiden Woodson and Elijah Smith have their books ready to go. (School News Network)

By Erin Albanese
School News Network

Eighth-graders Sakai Baker, Jaiden Woodson and Jazzmin Groendyke all found something they wanted on shelves stocked with brand new books during Pinewood Middle School’s Summer Book Bag Shopping event.

“I like these books,” said Sakai as he chose a “Goosebumps” mystery.

“I like this one because I can probably relate to it the most,” said Jaiden, about the novel “The Stars Beneath Our Feet.”

“This gives me a chance to refill my shelves,” said Jazzmin, as she chose a graphic book called “Green Hornet.”

Seventh-grader Kyla Mallard chooses three books from the same series

District-wide, more than 400 Pinewood, Valleywood and Crestwood middle school students went summer-book shopping to end the school year, each choosing three free books to read while school’s out. They brought their new reads home in bags, with the option to bring them back to swap them in the fall.

The giveaway, led by Melisa Mulder, secondary English-language arts intervention coach, aims to get books into students’ hands so they can stay on track with their reading. “Many of them don’t have books at home, so it’s also helping them build a library,” Mulder said.

Keeping Pace by Turning Pages

Students who received books are in Read 180, an intervention program for struggling readers, in special education or are English-language learners.

Mulder joined district media specialists in shopping for 2,000 books representing different genres, diverse authors and characters for the event. Kentwood Public Schools is the most diverse district in the state. Books are funded through state at-risk funding.

Seventh-grader Brooklyn Botello said she enjoys historical fiction

Her message: “Read. It’s really that simple.”

“The most important thing is that we want them to have a choice because we want them to be motivated to read, engaged and excited about it. A lot of them are cracking their books open and reading already,” Mulder said at the end of the school year.

She’s held the event at Pinewood for 10 years, this year expanding it to the other schools. Mulder wants to guarantee students have access to books, especially during the summer.

According to the Johns Hopkins University study Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap, more than 80 percent of children from economically disadvantaged communities can lose one to three months of reading skills over the summer, and the loss is cumulative. But providing books of students’ choice for summer reading produced as much or more reading growth as attending summer school, according to the book “No More Summer-Reading Loss.”

“They work so hard over the year and then in the summer if they don’t keep reading they lose traction,” Mulder said. “Keeping the ball rolling over the summer makes such a tremendous difference.”

Mulder is also involved in an initiative to build classroom libraries, stocking their shelves with books that represent students’ various tastes and backgrounds.

Seventh-grader Shy’Ana Thomas was ready to enjoy some new reads. “It’s really good getting a chance to pick out books and stay busy over the summer in an educational way,” she said.

For more stories on area schools, visit School News Network at www.schoolnewsnetwork.org.