Books

Stacy Abrams Speaks To A Sold Out Crowd In Tulsa

OKLAHOMA EAGLE — Former Georgia democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams spoke to a packed crowd in the gymnasium of Booker T. Washington High School last Friday evening during her recent visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Published

7 years ago

April 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By CJ Webber-Neal

Former Georgia democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams spoke to a packed crowd in the gymnasium of Booker T. Washington High School last Friday evening during her recent visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Abrams, part of the 2^nd Annual Tulsa LitFest, was at the event on Friday following the release of her most recent book, “Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change.”

Stacy Abrams has become a rising national star in the months after being defeated in the Georgia governor’s race last year. She is being heavily recruited to run for the U.S. Senate, is contemplating another campaign for governor and is even considering making a presidential bid, although people close to her say she is more likely to pursue a Senate campaign.

Abrams’ part in LitFest, “An Evening with Stacey Abrams,” sold out quickly. Literaries, politicos, and fans of all backgrounds filed the basketball arena at Booker T. Washington High School to hear her words.

Abrams told the crowd that she knew very well of Tulsa’s history and knew of the destruction that happened in 1921, commonly referred to as the Tulsa race riot. She was astonished when the emcee referred to the event as a massacre while they spoke backstage.

Abrams, who was a state representative in Georgia for 11 years, earned national attention when she presented the Democrat Party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech this year.

She has published several novels under the pseudonym Selena Montgomery. Her most recent book, the nonfiction “Lead from the Outside,” has recently been released in paperback with a new preface that deals with her recent gubernatorial campaign.

Speaking with Ms. Abrams back stage after the event, she was asked to expound a bit more on her views towards true reconciliation, as the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre approaches.

Ms. Abrams states, “Reconciliation requires first and foremost that you acknowledge the truth about what happened here in Tulsa. I think the language being used (referring to it as a Massacre and not a riot) is incredibly important. One version puts the blame on the victims’ while the other recognizes the deep needed harm and pain that still remains because of the event”. She went on to say, “Have a clear articulation of what atonement looks like, but most importantly you must create space for people to be able to reconcile. If reconciliation requires everyone to respond in the same way, at the same moment, then it will not be real. It has to be a process, even if its 100 years in the making the true evolution of change takes time”.

Her advise to young African-American women in Tulsa who may be going through some struggles, but aspire to follow and be like her, she says this: “Understand it will get better, but it’s not going to happen on it’s own. Figure out who you are, and be clear about it, don’t let people tell you that you are less than because you are different than.” Abrams went on to say, “Write down not just your dreams, but also provide a path on how to get there, and have a clear articulation of your goals. Often our ability (as African American women) is muted by a lack of a clear path of how to achieve our dream. The reason why we often miss our mark is because there has not been someone there to tell us how to get to that point where we desire to be. Finally, look for people who can help you in that path, seek like minded people who desire to help you ascend to the life you are seeking, and the future you desire.”

This article originally appeared in the Oklahoma Eagle.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026

Published

1 day ago

September 27, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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BOOK REVIEW: ‘Laws of Solomon’ Reveals Tender Heart of Former Child Soldier

The monsters that came to him early in his sleep were the easy ones. It was the later demons that stole Solomon Nangobi’s sleep, the spirits of all the people he killed when he was a child soldier in Uganda, and when he was a fixer in New York as an adult. Their ghosts called to him with urgent voices, though he left that life behind long ago.

Published

6 days ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

Book cover of “Laws of Solomon.” Courtesy of Poisoned Pen Press

By Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Author: Eriq La Salle, Copyright: c.2026, Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, SRP: $18.99, Page Count: 304 pages

Finally, after so much work, you’ve left your past behind.

That’s what you tell yourself: what’s done is done and you can’t undo history. It’s over. You try not to think about last month, last year, a decade back because what does it matter? As in the new novel, “Laws of Solomon” by Eriq La Salle, remembering is too full of pain.

Now, his days were filled working the soil in gardens near Malibu, and he loved the quiet life.

Still, he kept his guns.

And he was glad: when Solomon recognized two Zeta gunmen stalking a well-dressed man, woman, and child through the gardens, he couldn’t walk away. He stopped the gangsters with bullets, but not before the adults and their bodyguards were dead. The child, an 8-year-old boy named Gaby, was safe, but Gaby couldn’t tell Solomon what was going on.

What became quickly certain, however, was that Solomon was now Gaby’s guardian, and the Zeta crime boss wanted them dead, too.

When he was the same age as Gaby, Solomon saw unspeakable things, the murder of his parents, the destruction of his homeland, and the atrocities that Uganda dictator Idi Amin’s soldiers committed. He learned to kill, he observed, and he was hardened, understanding as a small boy that revenge was often necessary and needed, and that blood would shed at those times.

But Gaby was pure, an innocent, a child.

Solomon reached out to his contacts to try to get the boy to safety, but being a contact of a marked man was likewise a dangerous thing: the monsters outside were worse than the ones inside him.

Two words for you: ‘Whoo weee.’ That’s what you’re going to say when you close the back cover of “Laws of Solomon,” knowing that you’ve just been taken on a wild up-and-down, around-and-round ride.

La Salle makes it impossible not to like Solomon, an African man who has, over time, lost nearly everything dear to him and who has no faith in much of anything. Readers get that part of the story eventually, and there’s historical authenticity in some of it, but we never really get to know Solomon, which makes the book feel dark and dangerous. Along the way, we meet and get to know his helpers, which buoys Solomon’s chase to find safety for the boy, and your heart won’t stop pounding.

Keep in mind that this is a thriller partially set in 1970s Uganda, so expect lots of violence but don’t expect a lot of people to live. If you’re up for that, find “Laws of Solomon.” You won’t be able to leave it behind.

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Oakland Mayor Reads to Children at Bookout Block Party at Marcus Books Store

Booths lined the street with arts and crafts, and children participated in hands-on art projects. A large display of books was on display and each child chose his/her free book to take home. Food and snacks were available, and free water was encouraged to keep all hydrated.

Published

7 days ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

(L.to R.) Cherysse Calhoun and Blanche Richardson of Marcus Books join Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee with Indya McGuffin and Bean Tupou of Storyland Collective inside the store on Sept. 12. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Bauer, Special to The Post

Floating bubbles greeted families on arrival at the Bookout Block Party held on Sat. Sept. 12 at 39th and MLK Blvd. in Oakland.

Sponsored by Marcus Books and Storyland Collective, a wonderland of activity for children stretched to Longfellow School while live music filled the air, courtesy of KWC Complex Jazz Group.

A large area of turf was filled with huge bean bags for jumping, rolling, and sitting to listen as families crowded close to listen to Oakland Mayor Barbara Mayor Barbara Lee read a book out loud.

Of the numerous booths present were, “Claim Your Scholarship,” a program for Oakland Public School students and “VOLUNTEER NOW,” a program encouraging volunteers to help boost reading proficiency. Individuals sold their art and products. Free gifts were at many tables and a raffle was held.

The event with Marcus books culminated a summer-long program organized by Storyland Collective, a literacy arts organization bringing children’s ‘storytime,’ local authors, and art activities to Bay Area neighborhoods. Marcus Books is the oldest, independent Black-owned book store in the U.S., featuring books by and about Black people here and abroad.