Though it seems most contemporary political discussions have devolved into bipartisan battles between people and the soon-to-be-blocked portion of their Facebook friends list, Books for a Better Education (BBE) founder and local comedian Colton Jones is cultivating a protest movement free of nastiness and hateful speech.

The BBE mission is simple: send a book every weekday to the office of often-maligned Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

While the protest is humorous in nature, Jones has serious hopes that DeVos will realize “education is a right.” Jones says, “We want to communicate to her the reason why it [education] is so valued.” Anyone interested in helping BBE get their message across can donate books at Midway Craft House, Bearded Monk, Aura Coffee, Lone Star Taps & Caps, and Killer’s Tacos. 

While BBE doesn’t make any profits, they can’t legally be called a nonprofit or charity due to the political nature of their mission statement. Their donation boxes function as a “Take a Book, Leave a Book” library. As such, Jones is open to Dentonites taking books they feel might be a worthwhile read. 

Jones doesn't shy away from political material in his comedy, and he’s eager to get involved in the civic process beyond his stand-up act. As he moves toward that goal, he'll keep setting up comedy shows to raise BBE awareness and bring in more book donations. (The most recent show, on May 30th at Killer’s Tacos, also raised money for stamps.)

Follow the Books for a Better Education Facebook page for updates on future shows and the surely inevitable response from Secretary DeVos. 

Though there's no telling what that response may be, Jones would find it awesome if DeVos reacted in a way similar to how the government reacted to Andy Dufresne's letter-writing effort in The Shawshank Redemption. In the film, Dufresne undertakes a one-letter-a-week campaign asking the powers that be to fund a prison library. His demands are finally met after six years of diligence. Hopefully Secretary DeVos can be influenced by Books for a Better Education a bit quicker.

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