A scene from the Midwest Premiere of Kenneth Jones' �"Alabama Story” at Peninsula Players through Sept. 4. From left are James Leaming, Greg Vinkler and Carmen Roman. Roman portrays librarian Emily Wheelock Reed who defends the right to read in 1959 Photo

From: Photo Flash: The Midwest Premiere of ALABAMA STORY

Inspired by actual events in 1959, Alabama Story centers on a fearless, no- nonsense librarian, a vocal segregationist senator and an innocent children's book. In a parallel story, childhood friends Joshua and Lilly, a black man and white woman, reunite among the societal tensions of the times. In 2000, Emily Wheelock Reed was cited for her work in 1959 Alabama by the American Library Association and received the Scroll of Honor from the Freedom to Read Foundation for refusing to remove the children's book, The Rabbits Wedding from the shelf.