Events are typically updated at the beginning of each month. See also Local News, WVU News, Regional News, and Calendar
Our meetings are currently held via Zoom. The next will be on February 17, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome.
Bob Cohen, a member of the Morgantown Civilian Police Review and Advisory Board, will update us on its work. CCSJ advocated for the creation of this board and nominated Rachel Fetty Anderson as a member.
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Thank you to all who attended. If you missed the event or want to watch it again, it is on YouTube. This year’s theme was “Lift Every Voice and Vote!” Barb Howe presented “The Road to the Vote,” chronicling voting rights from 1776 to 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also provided information about deadlines and ballot choices for the May primary, with assistance from Alee Robins, voter services manager at the Monongalia County Clerk’s Office. Jessica Nelson represented the League of Women Voters-Morgantown/Monongalia County with information about voting access for individuals in long-term care facilities, caretakers, and students, including an emphasis on absentee voting. This is a big but little-known issue affecting hundreds of voters in Monongalia County and thousands throughout West Virginia. Delegate Anitra Hamilton, past president of the Morgantown - Kingwood Branch of the NAACP, represented the branch and focused on the importance of voting because every vote counts as it impacts our communities and our state.
Executive committee member of Fair Districts PA (FDPA), Tony Crocamo, discussed “Lobby Legislators on Any Issue: A Non-confrontational, Team-approach to Citizen Advocacy.” The handouts he mentioned for a lobby visit roadmap and lobby visit purpose and contact list are available MT lobby visit roadmap.docx and MT ASK & Contact.docx.
Morgantown musicians Chris Haddox and the Osage Soul & Gospel Choir featuring Al Anderson and Aristotle Jones provided the music. In addition, Al’s solo is a tradition of our programs.
Thank you to all those who contributed to the program and, especially, to Jascenna Haislet, executive director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WVU (OLLI), who hosted the Zoom for us and publicized it through OLLI.
The 3-panel exhibit focusing on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is now at the Morgantown History Museum.
The museum is at 175 Kirk Street in downtown Morgantown and is open Wednesday-Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. It is closed on all major holidays. The phone number is 304-319-180. The website is here and their email is morgantownwvhistory@morgantownwv.gov.
… And at Black Policy Day: Eve Faulkes plans to take this 3-panel exhibit to Charleston for Black Policy Day at the capitol on Saturday, February 24.
If you are interested in hosting the 6-panel exhibit on the 1964 Civil Rights Act or the new 3-panel exhibit focused on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, please contact Eve Faulkes at faulkeseve@gmail.com . Both exhibits “travel” in the back of her car. We also have half-size posters of the six panels of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to show in smaller spaces. See below for more information.
Our first national press review for the book came in the November 2025 issue of the Journal of Southern History, the journal of the Southern Historical Association. The author of the Book Note provides a general overview of the book and concludes that “The book conveys complex historical material to a larger public in a beautiful way.”
The book is available at:
Appalachian Gallery , 270 Walnut Street, Morgantown. The phone number is 304-296-0163.
Barnes & Noble, 3000 University Town Centre Dr., Morgantown. phone: 304-599-1294.
Terra Cafe, 4325 Industrial Avene, Star City. phone: 304-554-2233.
The book also is available on Amazon as both paperback ($15) and Kindle ($8) versions. The easiest way to find it is to type “Eve Faulkes” in the Amazon search engine.
If you buy the book on Amazon, you may be able to leave a review. Go to Amazon.com, search for Eve Faulkes to bring up the book title. Then go to the bottom of the page where it says “Review this product” in the lower left corner for the guidelines.
We still have a few copies of this printing for libraries, museums, schools, and related organizations.
It is important to note that “ This project [our reprint] is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the official state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
For more information see below.
New South Media, publishers of WV Virginia Living and Wonderful West Virginia , among other magazines, is purchasing copies of our book for the June 23, 2026, session of its “Book of the Month” meeting from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. EDT. Eve Faulkes, who compiled and illustrated the book, plans to attend, as does Joan Browning, one of the storytellers who is a Freedom Rider.
You can get information about the Book Club here and register for the June meeting here. You can choose to attend in person for $12.24, including food and beverages, or attend on Zoom at no cost. If you wish to purchase a copy of the book, you can do so after you register for $20, including shipping. We expect that the books will be available by mid-March for those who wish to pick up a copy in person at New South Media’s office, next to The F.A.R.M., which is at 1179 Main Street in Granville, WV. Please call 304-413-0104 or email Natalie Webb at info@newsouthmedia.com to arrange a time frame for sale and pickup. Payment may only be made by credit card.
We enjoyed good food and good company on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Mike Attfield gave a brief report on our activities over the past year.
Attendees and banner
Attendees
We had our new exhibit panels at the Fair in Osage, and sold our books and bumper stickers. Below is a picture of the panels with their creator, Eve Faulkes.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed on August 6, 1965. We celebrated that event on August 7 at Classroom B at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Greenbag Road. We had light refreshments and a new exhibit based on the Voting Rights Act in Classroom A. Although we did not get new funding from the City of Morgantown this year, we were authorized to spend $1499.72 that we did not use in previous authorizations to support this program, and we appreciate that opportunity.
At 6:30 p.m. Ilene Evans portrayed Coralie Franklin Cook (1861-1942), a descendant of those enslaved at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. According to the Monticello website, “In 1880, Coralie Franklin graduated from Storer College in Harpers Ferry, WV. From this time, she was widely noted as a powerful public speaker. She taught elocution and English at Storer and then at Howard University." (From Wikipedia: The Crisis is the NAACP publication.)
“In 1898 she married George William Cook (1855-1931), a Howard University professor and trustee. Coralie Cook served for twelve years as a member of the District of Columbia Board of Education. She was a founder of the National Association of Colored Women and a committed suffragist. About 1910, the Cooks became followers of the Baha’i faith. A longtime friend and admirer of Susan B. Anthony, she eventually became disillusioned by the women’s suffrage movement, feeling it had ‘turned its back on the woman of color’” (https://gettingword.monticello.org/people/coralie-franklin-cook/).
The Voting Rights exhibit included a panel on the dramatic story of West Virginia’s ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that granted suffrage to women. Eve Faulkes designed the exhibit panels, and we appreciate the support of First Presbyterian Church, Morgantown; the Morgantown Human Rights Commission; and the Morgantown/Kingwood Branch of the NAACP. The exhibit will then move to the second floor of the Morgantown Public Library, 373 Spruce Street, for the rest of the month of August.
Two TV news representatives attended the event. The WBOY video link is here. Pictures from the event are below.
An exhibit poster on display
Ilene Evans portraying Coralie Franklin Cook
Another exhibit poster, with Eve Faulkes, their creater, being interviewed for TV
The CCSJ was at the Pride Day event at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park on June 14. We had a table and posters featuring our Civil Rights exhibit. We sold copies of West Virginians’ Experiences in Civil Rights: How We Have Been Connected All Along We also had “Coexist” and other bumper stickers for sale. The event was well attended and featured booths from many different organizations, as well as music, drag shows, food trucks, and family-friendly activities.
The CCSJ won this award for our exhibit on the 60th anniversary of the civil rights act and for our "West Virginians' Experiences in Civil Rights: How We Have Been Connected All Along" We are honored to receive one of the 54 awards to be presented at the AASLH annual meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Friday, September 12.
“The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 80th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.” We particularly thank Dr. Hal Gorby and Dr. Melissa Bingmann of the WVU history department who wrote the letters focused on the scholarship behind the project and the presentation of the material required for the nomination.
If you are interested in hosting the 6-panel exhibit or the posters at a library, museum, or other public site, please contact Eve Faulkes at faulkeseve@gmail.com . It “travels” in the back of her car. The posters of our exhibit panels are half the size of the exhibit panels and do not have the “books” with additional information on some of the people featured in the exhibit.
See more about the book and exhibit below.
If you are interested in hosting the CCSJ July 2024 6-panel exhibit that was shown at the Morgantown City Library at a library, museum, or other public site, please contact Eve Faulkes at faulkeseve@gmail.com . It “travels” in the back of her car. We also have half-size posters of the six panels to show in smaller spaces.
Eve Faulkes designed, wrote, and produced a graphic novel for the 64th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act event held by the CCSJ at Morgantown City library on July 2nd. Go here to see information about purchasing it, including purchasing via Paypal, Amazon, and Kindle.
The book has 4 chapters that are based on the personal stories of West Virginians who worked to eliminate discrimination and improve civil rights within the state. The storytellers included are:
Chapter 1: Al Anderson and Duane Nichols (see here for more about Duane).
Chapter 2: Ken Hechler, Rev. Ronald English, Joan C. Browning and her West Virginia Human Rights Commission Beloved Community (Charlene Marshall, Tim Hairston, Ivin Lee, Phyllis Carter, Tank Williams, Ken Gilbert, and H. R. Whittington), Winston Fuller, John Garlow Sr. and Dr. William Waddell; Maria Gaddis, John Watson, and John Gaddis.
Chapter 3: Dayna Pratt, Suraya Boggs, Hair! (Sierra Velez, Charlene Marshall, Sarah Little, Dayna Pratt) and the CROWN Act (Asha Gaines, Mavery Davis, Katonya Hart, Shirley and Mary Taylor), Carolyn Bailey Lewis and the Green Book , Don Spencer (see here for more about Don), Catherine Shipe East, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, Rachel Welsh de Iga.
Chapter 4: Charlene Marshall, Reita Marks, Crystal Good, Janie Claytor-Woodson, Rev. Elizabeth Walker, Rosemary Ketchum, Cal Carlson.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Our book was on display on the Black Voter Impact Initiative table at an event at that library on February 13. Dr. Shanequa Smith of the Black Voter Impact Initiative told us that she received about 45 of the 350 books that the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation funded for Westside Together and had been distributing them at Black History Month events and elsewhere. She told us that she had to ration them because people wanted more copies than she could provide and that Westside Together had already distributed all its copies. With the cooperation of the WVU Extension Service, our book was on display at the West Virginia State Fair in August.
Joan Browning and Eve Faulkes participated in a “Let’s Talk” program at the Kanawha County Public Library on February 24 that included 19 people from a variety of organizations in the Charleston area. They passed out copies of the West Virginia Humanities Council version of our book.
The book was also featured in an article in The West Virginian Black by God website. Their title is Forgotten Freedom Fighters: The West Virginians Who Carried the Civil Rights Movement Forward
She and Joan Browning attended The Sandbox Project in Battle Creek, Michigan, on March 14-16, where Joan was one of the speakers. Eve and Joan passed out copies of our book to people from Michigan, Illinois, California, and Washington, DC. The goal of that project was to hope that "white and white identifying kids can find inspiring and tempering stories of historic people/groups who look like them resisting white supremacy and advancing racial justice."
We have sent a display copy and postcards with a QR code for orders to the Grave Creek Archaeological Complex in Moundsville for its gift shop.
We have sent 900 postcards to the Appalachian Studies Association to include in the “swag bags” or put out on tables at that conference at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennesee, this month. Eve Faulkes designed the card with a QR code for easy ordering and included the back cover “blurb” from Dr. Wilburn Hayden, a long-time important member of the association and editor of the Journal of Appalachian Studies ’s special issue on Black Appalachia. We appreciate the support of Mary Thomas, executive director of the association, for her assistance with this outreach.
You can support local businesses and buy the book at:
Appalachian Gallery, 270 Walnut Street, Morgantown. The phone number is 304-296-0163. The store is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Barnes & Noble, 3000 University Town Centre Dr., Morgantown. phone: 304-599-1294. The store is open Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m and from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Terra Cafe, 4325 Industrial Avene, Star City. phone: 304-554-2233. The cafe is open Monday-Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The book also is available on Amazon as both paperback ($15) and Kindle ($8) versions. The easiest way to find it is to type “Eve Faulkes” in the Amazon search engine.
If you buy the book on Amazon, you may be able to leave a review. Go to Amazon.com, search for Eve Faulkes to bring up the book title. Then go to the bottom of the page where it says “Review this product” in the lower left corner. Here are the guidelines: “Only customers who have spent at least $50 on Amazon in the last 12 months can submit ratings and reviews. [But you do not have to have purchased our book through Amazon.]
“Before posting a review, we check if it meets our Community Guidelines. That includes our rules against creating, editing, and removing reviews in exchange for compensation.
“We check if the reviewer bought or used (e.g., streamed) the item on Amazon and paid a price available to most Amazon shoppers. If we confirm both, we label the review with Verified Purchase. Reviews without this label can also be helpful. For example, a customer buys an item from a different company, but wants to share their opinion on Amazon.”
We have completed our grant requirements for the $2,000 mini-grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council and submitted our final report. We were honored that the council included our book as the “Grantee Spotlight” in the winter 2024-2025 issue of its People and Mountains newsletter.
We have distributed almost all of the 250 books funded through the West Virginia Humanities Council with the latest distribution of 30 to the WVU Center for Black Culture. At last count, we have sent books to 12 academic libraries in West Virginia and 1 in Maryland; 4 faith-based groups in the Charleston area, 17 museums in West Virginia and 1 in Maryland; 5 other academic units in West Virginia; 53 public libraries, including 2 in Maryland; 6 K-12 schools, including 1 in Tennessee; and 15 other groups, including social justice and civil rights groups, in about 30 corners, literally from Hancock to Mercer and Jefferson to Mason and Mingo.
It is important to note that “ This project [our reprint] is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the official state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
We still have “seconds” of the book from a printing with a graphics error that we can make available for free to groups that can use multiple copies, like for a class. In February we sent class sets to Keyser Middle School and Marlinton Middle School.
Students at the Marlinton Middle School used the book for class projects, thanks to their teacher Peggy Owens, the teacher and photographer who sent us the photos below of her granddaughter Diamond Owen with her first-place exhibit at the school’s social studies fair and of a fifth-grader with a Freedom Rides poster. Joan Browning will be meeting with the fifth graders to share her experiences as a Freedom Rider. See below.
Maliyah Owens reading the graphics novel
Diamond Owens reading the graphics novel
Display at the Marlinton Middle School Social Studies Fair exhibit
Tim Hairston distributed copies of our book at the West Virginia Human Rights Commission’s Fair Housing event on April 17th.
We plan to have a table at Morgantown PRIDE’s Block Party from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14th, at the Morgantown Riverfront Park. We will have the posters of the exhibit panels and copies of our book to sell there.
We appreciate the assistance of the League of Women Voters and Morgantown/Kingwood Branch of the NAACP in publicizing the book.
Please send your web site suggestions to Mike Attfield at mdattfieldo@gmail.com. Please contact any of the steering committee members to volunteer to help and to share your suggestions for our work or e-mail us at ccsjwv@gmail.com. Please send items to share with our membership to Barb Howe at barbara.howe@mail.wvu.edu.
Please also remember to send your dues - $10 for individuals and $25 for organizations – to CCSJ, PO Box 160, Morgantown, WV 26507-0160. You can join or donate by credit card via PayPal on this web site. Go to Join Us.
Please note that CCSJ is a 501 (c) (3) organization and therefore is non-partisan. While we encourage everyone to vote and participate in the political process, we do not endorse candidates, provide a forum for candidates to campaign, or publicize partisan political statements.
FIND US ON FACEBOOK! Just look for “Community Coalition for Social Justice” under “Groups” and become our friend. Thanks to Mike Sharley for being our group “leader.”