One month ago, Columbia County Schools took three books off the Columbia County Schools supplemental reading list.

Nic Stone, author of “Dear Martin,” one of the three books, came to the Columbia County Library to address the issue.

The Book Tavern hosted the event tonight. They are selling three of Nic Stone’s book including “Dear Martin.” The Book Tavern is also donating 310 copies of “Dear Martin” to middle and high school students.”

“I am here for the children,” says Stone.

After her book got taken off the Columbia County Schools supplemental reading list, Nic Stone became vocal.

“People are allowed to read what they want. To like or dislike what they want. It stung for me because of the message that it sends like the one in the book,” says Stone.

Many people showed up the Columbia County Library to listen to Stone speak and sign their book copies. Originally writing the book for her own two sons, amongst the crowd were other mothers.

Columbia County Mom,Cherri Tutt, says, “this is not okay. And it’s not okay because not only, like I said, being a mother of African American sons, but I think all children need to read this story because it is something that is still going on. You know, our children are being profiled, and it’s like I say all the time, ‘it’s the elephant in the room, but nobody wants to address the elephant.'”

Stone kept describing her book as “uncomfortable”. In her speech, she said it is the uncomfortable that nobody is talking about that needs to be said.

“After a string of deaths of unarmed African American teenage boys, as a mother of two African American teenage boys, I felt compelled to create something that I can hand to my sons,” says Stone.

Stone spent the day speaking and signing books for kids at the Academy of Richmond County, but when asked why she didn’t reach out to Columbia County schools, here’s what she said:

“For reasons that involved people not losing their jobs,” says Stone.

NewsChannel 6 reached out to Columbia County Schools to see if they had any comment. They did not. Columbia County Schools Superintendent Dr. Sandra Carraway was not in attendance.

You can see the full speech HERE.