BOOK BAN AT STONEWALL JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL

A New Play by Thomas Meloncon

In a Bible Belt corner of Texas, Stonewall Jackson High School hires its first African American librarian, Dr. Imani Adair, as the school undergoes significant change under its first African American principal, Mr. William Elliott. Imani finds an ally in Dr. Olivia Brown, a retired White librarian who shares her commitment to the enduring value of libraries.

When the school board moves to remove primarily African American and LGBTQ books from the library, Imani finds herself at the center of an escalating battle over censorship, identity, and whose stories belong in the classroom. As community outrage intensifies and threats become personal, the fight over books forces everyone involved to confront the ethical and human cost of division.

About Thomas Meloncon

Thomas Meloncon is a nationally recognized Houston playwright, poet, educator, and author whose body of work spans approximately 30 plays and two books of poetry. A graduate of Texas Southern University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism, Meloncon has also served as an educator in Houston schools and as an associate professor at Texas Southern University. His best known work, The Diary of Black Men, had an Off Broadway run and became a long running production on the urban theatre circuit.

About Shabach Enterprise/Fade To Black

Founded in 2007, Shabach Enterprise is a Houston based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing the African American community through theatrical arts and cultural empowerment. Shabach Enterprise produces the Fade To Black Play Festival, launched in 2013 to provide a national platform for the new works of African American playwrights. The festival is recognized by MATCH as Houston's first and only national short play festival dedicated to new works by African American playwrights. Fade to Black Festival

About Scriptwriters/Houston

Scriptwriters/Houston is a Houston based 501(c)(3) organization serving stage and screenwriters. Founded in 1985, the organization reports having sponsored more than 1,000 stage productions and public readings and provides opportunities for writers through readings, educational programs, networking, feedback, and its annual 10x10 Play Festival. Scriptwriters/Houston

Admission is Pay As You Can. All proceeds from this staged reading will benefit Scriptwriters/Houston, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting Houston's community of stage and screenwriters.

"Book Ban at Stonewall Jackson High School" written by Thomas Meloncon

Benefitting Scriptwriters/Houston (Pay As You Can)

Team Members