What's the deal with LA Forward's Westside Book Club?

This is a special guest post from Alexis and Anna, LA Forward’s summer fellows —

We wanted to share with you just how excited we were for the first LA Forward Westside book club meeting! It was awesome to see so many new, eager faces interested in local politics. We read The State of Resistance, a fascinating history of California politics by Dr. Manuel Pastor. Dr. Pastor highlighted the important parallel between California of the 1990s and the US today.

It was thought-provoking and inspiring to learn about how an intersectional approach to movement building has made California politics more inclusive. Our discussion went beyond the book to focus on our own experiences in California during this time period. Everyone who attended had strong opinions on how we can improve California's public education by closing corporate property tax loopholes.

With everyone in the room “clicking,” our discussion lasted for over two hours! We finished up by creating email chain to stay in touch with one another before the next meeting. This was a remarkable start to the Westside Book Club and we’re looking forward to seeing you next time.

Next meeting we will read Patrisse Khan Cullors' memoir When They Call You a Terrorist.

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