On Thursday, February 18th, The Project on the History of Black Writing hosted its annual Black Literary Suite. The theme for this year was Sports Figures with a Kansas Connection.  

The event was co-sponsored by the KU Library and KU Athletics. The kickoff reception, held in Watson 455, attracted dozens of students and faculty alike. Attendees were treated to special guests Ernie Shelby, Marlene Mawson, and Leonard Monroe who spoke about their experiences at KU. Kevin Powell was also a special guest at the event. Powell spoke at KU about civil rights and his most recent book, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood, the day before. 

The exhibit was a self-guided audio tour with posters. Attendees had the option of scanning the QR code on the posters and listening to the audio on their mobile devices, listening to the audio on provided MP3 players, or following a link to the online exhibit. 

The exhibit will remain up on the 4th floor of Watson Library through the end of March, so there is still time to view it if you missed the kickoff reception! The exhibit is also available online through KU’s Scholarworks, where you can view the posters and listen to the corresponding audio.

One of the goals of Project HBW is to highlight authors and texts that have been largely neglected by the public. While athletes are frequently admired for their abilities on the playing field, the writings of athletes tell another, less often heard story.

Many thanks to our co-sponsors, and to all who came out and supported Project HBW, the KU Library, and KU Athletics!