Miranda Spivack's book, Backyard Deals in our Backyards, received a Publishers Weekly starred review which called it "a stunning survey of 'accidental activists' who faced down harm to their communities arising from malfeasance and deception in local government. Spivack argues that lack of transparency is the main avenue by which fraud and incompetence are able to flourish at the local level, and that the problem is growing, contributing to the erosion of the American public’s trust in democratic governance." The review concludes that her examples are "deeply upsetting, each one more indicative of a society whose priorities have gone dangerously out of whack than the last."
Miranda grew up in Fairfax County, and went to St. Paul's nursery school in Alexandria, Hollin Hills Elementary, Bryant and Groveton before decamping for Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and eventually Yale Law School, where she was a journalism fellow. Most recently, she was an editor and reporter on the Metro staff of The Washington Post. You can read more about her at www.mirandaspivack.com
In addition to The Post, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, USAToday, the McClatchy Newspapers group and Washingtonian magazine. She is a four time grantee of the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Queenie Cox, whose activism is featured in the book, is a native of Gum Springs, the oldest African American community in Fairfax County. She works tirelessly to enhance the quality of life for Gum Springs residents, aiming to achieve parity with other communities within the Mount Vernon Magisterial District. Queenie has served as the Mount Vernon representative on various Fairfax County boards and task forces. Queenie has been acknowledged by various organizations for her community service to include Fairfax County Police Department and:
- 1999 Lady Fairfax for Mount Vernon alongside Earl Flanagan as Lord Fairfax.
- 2022-2023 Omega Psi Phi, Inc. Psi Alpha Alpha Chapter Citizen of the Year.
- 2023-2024 National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Northern Virginia Chapter Ebone' Image Award for Community Service.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
