Authors promote literacy and cross-cultural dialogue at Harlem Book Fair Midwest

Irene Caudillo, right, co-coordinator of the local efforts for Harlem Book Fair Midwest, introduced poet Xanath Caraza at the event on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Reardon Civic Center, 5th and Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan.
Irene Caudillo, right, one of the leaders of the local efforts for the Harlem Book Fair Midwest, introduced poet Xanath Caraza at the event on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Reardon Civic Center, 5th and Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan.

At the Harlem Book Fair Midwest today at the Reardon Civic Center in Kansas City, Kan., Alvin Sykes, left, holds a copy of a book, “Emmett Till, The Murder that Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement,” by Devery Anderson. Sykes’ efforts in reopening the Till case are mentioned in the book. At the right is former columnist Steve Penn, the author of the book, “Case for a Pardon,” about Pete O’Neal.
At the Harlem Book Fair Midwest today at the Reardon Civic Center in Kansas City, Kan., Alvin Sykes, left, held a copy of a book, “Emmett Till, The Murder that Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement,” by Devery Anderson. Sykes’ efforts in reopening the Till case are mentioned in the book. At the right is former columnist Steve Penn, the author of the book, “Case for a Pardon,” about Pete O’Neal.

Police and Fire Department vehicles were on display in the parking lot during the Harlem Book Fair Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Reardon Civic Center, 5th and Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan. There also were booths inside to greet the public and to provide information for recruiting.
Police and Fire Department vehicles were on display in the parking lot during the Harlem Book Fair Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Reardon Civic Center, 5th and Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan. There also were booths inside to greet the public and to provide information for public safety job recruiting.

The Harlem Book Fair Midwest, a well-attended event, was held today at the Reardon Civic Center in Kansas City, Kan.

The Kansas City, Kan., NAACP and El Centro were the two major sponsoring organizations that brought the book fair to Kansas City, Kan., to promote literacy and cross-cultural dialogue. Also sponsoring the event was UMKC.

Special guest speakers at the event included Sonny Gibson, “8165 Kansas City Early Negro History,” Steve Penn, “The Pete O’Neal Story,” Sarah Washington O’Neal Rush, author and great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, and Xanath Caraza, author, poet and artist.

Also, authors sharing their work included Willa Robinson, Willa Books, Devin James, “Inside Ferguson: The Voice of the Voiceless,” Tiffany Taylor, “2 Halves Make One Whole,” Chavos Buycks, Christine Taylor-Butler, Abdul Kasim, Robert Stevenson and Carolyn Johnson of Tate Publishing.

For more information about the Harlem Book Fair Midwest, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/harlem-book-fair-coming-to-kck-on-saturday/.