Planting People Growing Justice Press and Bookstore

10/05/2026

📚 Words of inspiration from our Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute Cultural Bearer: Reverend Carl Walker

10/05/2026

PPGJLI Intern Spotlight

How Ghana Won Its Freedom, and Why the Story Still Matters

Contributing writer Christabel Annor traces the path to Ghana’s March 6, 1957 independence, beginning with the 1948 killing of three unarmed WWII veterans marching for promised benefits and the arrest of the “Big Six” leaders that followed. Kwame Nkrumah broke from the slower-moving United Gold Coast Convention to found the Convention People’s Party, building a mass movement of workers, farmers and women that won a decisive 1951 election while he was still imprisoned. Annor connects the history to Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute’s belief that understanding how freedom was won is part of protecting it.

The story behind Ghana's 1957 independence, the first for a sub-Saharan African nation.

10/05/2026

Join us and help grow the movement!

Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute is excited to participate in the Amplify Mission AMP Session on November 12, 2026.

We invite our community of friends, supporters, partners, and champions to join us. Come learn more about our mission and discover how you can help us inspire young readers, put books into the hands of children, and cultivate the next generation of leaders.

Your presence and support help us continue to plant seeds of change, one book and one child at a time.

📅 November 12, 2026
Learn more and join us: https://www.amplifymission.org/event/november-12-2026-amp-session/

10/05/2026

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: “There’s no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers–at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.” Octavia Butler

I was honored to serve on a panel with Rondo authors, Debra Stone and Hawona Sullivan Janzen. I shared our vision of the Rondo Renaissance and highlighted our Planting People Growing Justice arts-based community development initiatives.

10/05/2026

Honored to spend time with my Hamline University community. We are excited to build new community partnerships starting with our arts and humanities nonprofit, Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute. I am also working on an exciting new book project about a remarkable Hamline alumna.

10/03/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Leaders are Readers Program! 📚 Your passion for learning and commitment to personal growth is inspiring. Together, we are building a community of strong, thoughtful leaders who understand the power of knowledge. Let’s continue to lead by example—one book at a time!

A special thank you to Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and Midway Music and Arts for your support.

Save the date for the next Leaders are Readers: November 7

10/02/2026

Let’s share the joy of reading 📚

A nearly empty library was transformed within minutes. I went to the car and added our Planting People Growing Justice books.

Join me in supporting your local Little Free Library. Read a book, share a book and build community.

10/02/2026

Together, we are planting seeds of change in Ghana!

Thank you to our incredible community of supporters, partners, and friends who continue to invest in the next generation through Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute in Ghana.

Because of your support, we have been able to expand opportunities for young people through our:

✍🏾 Youth Writing Competition — amplifying young voices and creativity
🌍 Youth Leadership Summit — equipping emerging leaders to dream, lead, and make a difference
📚 Library Projects — increasing access to books and creating spaces where children can read, learn, and grow

Every book, every opportunity, and every young leader reached is a reminder of what we can accomplish when a community comes together.

There is still more work to do, and we invite you to be part of it. Volunteer, partner with us, sponsor a youth initiative, or help us put more books into the hands of children.

Together, we can grow the next generation of readers, writers, and leaders.

Learn more and get involved:
https://www.ppgjli.org/youth-programming

10/02/2026

Planting People Growing Justice is using an intergenerational approach to promote literacy and build a culture of reading in order to address the nation’s reading crisis.

“More than half of American adults read below a sixth-grade level, a record high number that experts call a “silent crisis” affecting the economy, health care and communities nationwide.

About 54 percent of Americans ages 16 to 74 read at or below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level – around the age 11 or 12 – according to data cited by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. That amounts to around 130 million people.”

Children raised by adults with low literacy have a 72 percent chance of developing low literacy themselves, according to one expert