One of the brighter stories of this year has been the continued development of Noname’s Book Club. In 2019, the Chicago artist expanded her creative forces to create a book club that advocates on behalf of local bookstores and public libraries while encouraging reading worldwide. As the club continues to expand, the organization has continued to put resources in to maintaining chapters for incarcerated people across the country. In fact, the club’s book of the month for March was picked by Dawud, the facilitator of the SCI Coal Township prison chapter.
During this unstable time we want to make sure folks are aware of what’s happening with our incarcerated book club members. Most of the facilities have stopped visitation and limited communication. The prison staff is bringing the virus into the facilities and infecting prisoners pic.twitter.com/ozJoKuRCgr
— Noname Book Club (@NonameBooks) March 22, 2020
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Noname’s Book Club has advocated for improved treatment of all incarcerated people. Specifically, the book club has encouraged members to call their local jail or prison and demand waived costs for telephone calls and video calls. In addition, they encourage people to demand that phones inside these facilities be disinfected frequently in accordance with CDC guidelines.
— Noname Book Club (@NonameBooks) March 22, 2020
Recently, the book club has posted messages from those inside jails and prisons across the country who are worried about their own safety and health. One message from Stephen Wilson indicated that their facility had no plan in place to protect them from being infected by staff. Another message from Dawud Lee indicated that his lung disease, sarcoidosis, makes him a prime target for the virus.
To learn more about the efforts of Noname’s Book Club, visit their Twitter account or website.
