Lyon College receives generous donation of books for Black History Collection

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Lyon College Black Student Association 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.

Since 1976, Americans have celebrated Black History Month each February as a time to honor the accomplishments of African Americans in the United States. The titles in the collection relate primarily to Black culture and history, as well as the lives of influential African American leaders, the college said.

“It wasn’t until my own children started school that I realized just how little I knew about Black history. In addition to expanding the Lyon College Black History Collection, it is my hope these books will provide primary source learning opportunities and academic research for Lyon students,” Rutherford said in a release announcing the donation.

Rutherford worked with Lyon College Digital Media Librarian Aidan Sonia-Bolduc to curate the collection.

Among the 20 new titles included in the collection are best-sellers:

• “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama
• “Black Fortunes” by Shomari Wills,
• “Caste” by Isabel Wilkinson
• “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones
• “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
• “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
• “The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation” by Anna Malarkla Tubbs
• “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett

“In today’s climate, the history of African Americans in the United States is a story many do not want to be reminded of, but without our true history, how can we move forward? Trustee Skip Rutherford understands the parallel and the need to make sure our students know this part of history,” said Dr. Branndii Peterson, Lyon College executive director of TRiO programs and Black Student Association adviser.

“Thank you, Trustee Rutherford, for the amazing donation of historical Black books in recognition of the Black Student Association and Black History Month celebration here on Lyon’s campus. Author Dr. Daniel Black, who spent his childhood in Blackwell, Ark., once stated that ‘Children don’t carry the weight of history, so their capacity for heavy things might be great. But few adults believe this, so we pass along only what we think they can bear. Children wonder later why we don’t tell them everything, so they can avoid our mistakes from the past.'”

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.

Lyon College Black Student Association advisers Cory Godbolt, associate dean of students, and Dr. Branndii Peterson, executive director of TRiO programs, display the collection of Black History Month books recently donated by Lyon College Board of Trustees member Skip Rutherford in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Lyon College Black Student Association Image provided by Lyon College.