Don't Mute Moe Vision of an Urban Scholar

Author Talk Activist Ronald Moten Co-author Jeffrey Anderson

Join us at the Cleveland Park Library for an Author Talk with activist Ronald Moten on his book Don't Mute Moe: Vision of an Urban Scholar Turning Words into Action.

Ron and coauthor Jeffrey Anderson will discuss their book Don't Mute Moe: Vision of an Urban Scholar and answer questions from the audience. This is your chance to purchase a signed copy of Don't Mute Moe: Vision of an Urban Scholar and learn more about DC culture and history. This event is free and open to All. 

About the Book 

Don't Mute Moe: Vision of an Urban Scholar is a call to action by Ronald "Moe" Moten based on the author's three decades of changing lives, empowering Black youth and families, and making communities safer for "his people" in his beloved Washington, D.C. Moe had more than two dozen op-eds published in the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and other media outlets between 2006 and 2021. Don't Mute Moe is a selection of 16 op-eds with stunning relevance today. Each op-ed is paired with an in-depth interview with Moe conducted by journalist Jeffrey Anderson who has been both a critic and a supporter of Ron Moten's activities over the years. The interviews by Mr. Anderson highlight the remarkable and disturbing relevance of these op-eds to current social issues plaguing black urban youth, families, and communities. In the words of one reviewer, Don't Mute Moe "is an incremental uncovering of the steps Moe has taken to ensure the Black community in D.C. isn't just a fond memory of future generations. He is actively putting the pieces in place for Black D.C. to grow with the city and not be pushed out or MUTED." Don't Mute Moe illuminates how Ron "Moe" Moten, an activist fighting for equity and the economic development (among other things) of DC's Black community, has taken on the responsibility of answering this question, not just for himself but for the entire community. 

About the Authors 

Ronald Moten's positive impact on Black lives since his incarceration in the early 90s caused a genuine change of heart as a matter of public record. It began with his early experience coordinating Black youth for the Million Man March, to co-founding the effective and sometimes controversial Peaceoholics, where he brokered more than 40 cease-fires and permanent truces between gangs (called crews in D.C.) and played a major role in the well-documented reduction of violence in the 2000s, to his more recent work with creating entrepreneurial opportunities for former members of the gay gang Check It and others, enabling economic development, establishing the Go-Go Museum, starting the Don't Mute D.C. movement that resulted in Go-Go becoming the official music of the District of Columbia. 

Jeffrey Anderson is an award-winning journalist and the editor of District Dig, D.C.'s premier source for long-form journalism and investigative reporting on local government, politics, and culture. His body of work spans from Los Angeles to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and consists of in-depth reporting on criminal and civil justice, government corruption, and a wide range of social and political issues. 

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