On Aug. 30, 1948, Black Panther leader Fred Hampton was born in Summit, Ill. His family would eventually move to Maywood, where he grew up during his formative years. To remember Fred’s life and legacy, as well as the legacy of the Black Panthers, we’ve selected Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin, Jr. as our inaugural One Book, One Proviso selection.

All day on Aug. 30, we encourage readers throughout Proviso Township to visit our Facebook page (@1book1proviso), Twitter page (@oneproviso) and our website (1book1proviso.com) to comment on Black Against Empire.

We’ll also be updating readers on where to buy or check out  the book, which libraries will offer programming related to the book and/or Fred Hampton’s life, how to create their own One Book, One Proviso programs and how to enter One Book’s $1,000 essay contest.

Oh, one last (but VERY important thing)! Every day from Aug. 30 until Dec. 4 (the day Fred was assassinated in Chicago by law enforcement authorities), we’ll be posting a brief nugget about Fred Hampton’s life on our website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages. We’re calling this project: #MaywoodRemembers