The Detroit Public Library, in collaboration with the Wayne State University Library System, will be bringing best-selling author Beverly Daniel Tatum to the Friends Auditorium at the Detroit Public Library on March 27 at 2 p.m. for a discussion and signing of her book "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race."

Tatum's book is the selection of the 2004 Read Detroit! One Book, One City, program, a community initiative to promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book. "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" encourages readers to explore the progress in race relations in the fifty years since the 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education ruling, which celebrates its anniversary on May 17.

A nationally recognized authority on racial issues in America, Tatum's research includes the study of racial identity development in teens, the impact of race on classroom dynamics and the experiences of black families in white communities. A licensed clinical psychologist, she has toured extensively, leading workshops and presenting papers and lectures on racial identity development.

For more information on the event, or the Read Detroit! program, contact the Detroit Public Library at (313) 833-4042.

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.