This book club is a partnership with the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice. This group usually meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month and discusses classic and contemporary works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and cinematic art. All are welcome.

For this discussion, SDARJ is pleased to welcome Lois Powell, founding member of The Chantels singing group, to discuss her experiences with this group and music in the Doo Wop Era.

Lois is a founding member of The Chantels singing, recording, and performing group that originated in the Bronx, New York. Lois left the group in 1959, after the group's recording folded. She rejoined the group in 1997 after The Chantels had received two major awards, and requests from promoters, to perform in their shows. The group has been performing for over 60 years. In addition to the many awards they have received, The Chantels are featured in the book "But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" An Oral History Of The 60's Girl Groups by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz. Lois is also featured in the documentary Streetlight Harmonies, that highlights the artists, their history, and music of the "Doo Wop" era.

Lois is a former member of the Southern Delaware Chorale. She is a current member of Cantabile Women's Chorus, a program at the Music School of Delaware, Milford branch, a member of St. Peter's parish choir in Lewes, and is on the standing committee of the St. Cecelia Music Guild, which is part of the Music Ministry of St. Peter's.

The 2024 selections are:
January 23 | Twice as Hard: Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians by Jasmine Brown
February 27 | The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
March 26 | But Will You Love Me Tomorrow: An Oral History of the ‘60s Girl Groups by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz
April 23 | Origin (film) / Supplemental reading: Caste by Isabelle Wilkerson
May 28 | I Saw Death Coming by Kidada Williams
June 25 | Women of the Post by Joshunda Sanders / Supplemental viewing: Six Triple Eight (film)
July 23 | Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
August 27 | I Am Not Your Negro (film) / Supplemental reading: Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
September 24 | Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether
October 22 | Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (film) / Supplemental reading: Make Me Rain: Poems and Prose by Nikki Giovanni
November 26 | Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
December | no meeting

NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email the library.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.