race

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, is well-known for his feats on the court. But did you know that, as a high-school reporter, he covered the late Martin Luther King Jr. at a press conference? And he's been writing ever since. Abdul-Jabbar shares this story and more in his new book, "Writings on the Wall: Searching for A New Equality Beyond Black and White," which is the Kalamazoo Public Library's Reading Together selection this year.

At a time when some community read programs have shut down, Kalamazoo Public Library Director Ann Rohrbaugh says her institution's Reading Together will be reaching its 15th milestone anniversary in March. She says picking books with potential for lively discussions, often around social issues, is its winning formula. This year's selection is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's "Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White," a book of essays about race relations. He'll speak in Kalamazoo on March 14.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state laws banning “miscegenation” or bi-racial marriage in 1967. Michigan rescinded its own law that banned mixed-race marriage in 1883. The Kalamazoo Valley Museum will present Bi-racial Marriages: Narratives from Kalamazoo Sunday afternoon at 1:30. 

Historian and Archeologist Cheryl LaRoche says she likes to look into legends and lore, stories that have been refuted about slavery and the Underground Railroad.