Mary Jones Parrish Reading Room for History Literacy
Recognizing the need for true and accurate history as vital to authentic democracy, we are establishing a program for history literacy in the name of Mary Jones Parrish, the first chronicler of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. This organization has been represented for two successive years at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent by its founder, Anneliese Bruner, and will be building out programs to support its mission. The reading room will operate in concert with a social enterprise entity, which will be purposed to provide operating capital.
Currently, we are seeking funding support for the marketing of the 2025 screenplay written by Anneliese to tell the story of Mary Parrish and her brave reporting in the massacre's aftermath. Some may not realize the peril this brave woman faced as she compassionately collected oral histories of massacre survivors -- some of whom would only speak to her if they could remain anonymous -- at the lowest point of their lives. She herself, along with her young daughter, seven-year-old Florence Mary, had survived a life-alterting ordeal, and she found comfort in recording the words of others so that their stories could not be buried or misrepresented. She achieved her mission, and now, we are carrying her legacy forward.
Last year, we attended the 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, but were unable to travel there this year. Nevertheless, the link below allows you to support the ongoing marketing of the screenplay.
My new Ko-Fi link to support The Little Red Book: Stories of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
More to come!