Featured image: Three of the books donated to the Lyon College Mabee-Simpson Library by Batesville native James L. “Skip” Rutherford III.
In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, Batesville native James L. “Skip” Rutherford III recently made a generous donation of noteworthy Black history books to the Lyon College Mabee-Simpson Library for its Black History Collection.
Rutherford, Dean Emeritus of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, is a member of the Lyon College Board of Trustees and has served as a visiting professor at the college.
This is the second consecutive year Rutherford (pictured below) has donated new volumes to Lyon College for the Black History Collection.
Since 1986, Americans have observed the birth of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January. Since 1976, Americans have also celebrated Black History Month each February — a time to honor the accomplishments of African Americans in the United States. The titles in this collection relate primarily to Black culture and history, as well as the lives of influential African American leaders.
“Black History has been underrepresented for years. Continuing to expand the Black History Collection at the Lyon College library provides more access and resources for students, faculty, and staff,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford worked with Lyon College Digital Media Librarian Aidan Sonia-Bolduc to curate the collection.
Among the new titles included in the collection are “A Black Women’s History of the United States” by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross, “African American Almanac: 400 Years of Triumph, Courage and Excellence” by Dr. Lean’tin Bracks with a forward by Jessie Carney Smith, “Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century” by Dorothy Roberts, “The Humanity Archive: Recovering the Soul of Black History from a Whitewashed American Myth” by Jermaine Fowler, “Black Ghost of Empire: The Long Death of Slavery and the Failure of Emancipation” by Kris Manjapra, “America Made Me a Black Man: A Memoir” by Boyah J. Farah, “The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride” by David J. Dennis Jr. and David J. Dennis Sr., “Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future” by Brandi Collins-Dexter, “Great Short Stories by African-American Writers” by Christine Rudisel and editor Bob Blaisdell, “Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal” by Bettina L. Love, “Better Living by Their Own Bootstraps” by Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch, and “Separate Games: African American Sport Behind the Walls of Segregation” edited by David K. Wiggins and Ryan Swanson.
The Lyon College Mabee-Simpson Library is open Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to midnight; Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 4 p.m. to midnight. The library is closed on Saturdays.
File image of Rutherford
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