A book co-authored by McGuireWoods Charlottesville partner Jonathan Blank and entrepreneur, filmmaker and author BK Fulton recently won a silver award from the Nonfiction Authors Association. Released Aug. 6, 2020, “The Tale of the Tee: Be Kind and Just Believe” compiles the authors’ emails and shared writings capturing the significant events of June 2020 to eradicate racial inequality.
Announced March 21, 2021, the national award honors excellence in nonfiction books.
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Owl Publishing, “The Tale of the Tee” provides context around the tragic death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the protests that ignited in city streets across the United States and around the world. The book takes readers to the authors’ hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and shares photos of the city’s people who peacefully protested for social justice and opposed Confederate monuments.
The book includes a photo of Fulton’s wife, McGuireWoods Richmond partner Jacquelyn E. Stone, cleaning graffiti from a historical marker honoring civil rights pioneer Oliver Hill. Seeing this simple act of kindness, Blank — who chairs McGuireWoods’ Business & Securities Litigation Department — emailed Stone, who connected him with BK. The two men shared their thoughts in writings now chronicled in “The Tale of the Tee.”
The book’s title references a golf tee both men carry with them, symbolizing their bond and the work they must do to promote kindness and racial equality. They also carry the tee in honor of Dr. George Franklin Grant, inventor of the golf tee, who is among many people of African descent whose inventions, art, theories and other contributions often are not found in history books.