Evelyn Pope built a career around the importance of books. What better way to honor her than a book club?
On Feb. 25 the Dr. M.T. Pope House Museum in Raleigh kicks off its second year of Evelyn’s Book Club with the first of five bimontly meetings.
We paged Hazel Boomer, site manager for the museum, for details about what this year’s chapter has in store.
Who was Evelyn?
Evelyn Pope was the daughter of Dr. Manassa T. Pope, one of the first licensed African American doctors in North Carolina and the builder of the house at 511 S. Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh. Evelyn was born in 1908 and was the oldest daughter of Dr. Pope. When she was young, she loved reading, and she carried that love with her when she enrolled in college. Evelyn graduated from Shaw University with a Bachelor’s in Arts, Hampton University with a Bachelor’s of Library Science, and Columbia University in New York with a Master’s in Library Science. Evelyn’s early career started as a teacher but later became a law librarian at North Carolina Central University School of Law, then the Dean of Library Sciences at North Carolina Central University.
What is the mission and background of Evelyn’s Book Club?
One of our goals when creating the program is to honor the family, and the obvious way to honor Evelyn Pope is to read books. But we also thought it would be cool to discuss books in a house museum setting. But overall, we wanted to create community connections.
How are books chosen for the reading list?
When selecting books, we try to choose one that adult Evelyn would read. She was very partial to James Bawdwin and Richard Wright. So, for our first book club, we read Native Son by Richard Wright. We also read nonfiction books about North Carolina. Our first session was very academically heavy, so for this session, we balanced it with three fiction books and two history books. We still select books set in North Carolina. For example, in June, we will be reading A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan, and in August, Becoming Lunsford Lane: The Lives of an American Aeneas by Craig Friend. For next year, we discussed reading books by local Black authors or having an Alice Walker reading marathon. It really depends on the vibe.
Tell us about the meetings. What type of discussions arise?
We usually have questions to facilitate the conversation, but it depends on the book’s themes. Discussions on race and gender have been enlightening as we’ve had readers come from different ages, backgrounds, and points of view.
How can readers get involved?
To sign up, readers can go to the City of Raleigh’s RecLink activities page. In the Keyword Search field, type “book,” and they will be able to see the 5 sections of the book club. Registration is free, but you can purchase the books in a bundle for $90! Discussions happen at the Dr. M.T. Pope House Museum (511 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh).
