The Oracle Set Book Club was established in the summer of 1966 by Claudette Franklin Ford. Inspired by a friend's book club in Baltimore MD, she met with a group of friends who were receptive to forming a book club in Washington DC. Until her death in 1996, Claudette played a nurturing role in the longevity of the club. One original member, Bernadette Derr is currently active with the organization.

Desiring little structure and formality, the group established few governing rules. Its purpose was to review and discuss books, plays, and other literary forms. Membership would be limited to 17 (later 18) to allow for meaningful discussion and a comfortable fit for most members' homes. Meetings would be held monthly, with a summer break.

The book club membership represents a variety of professions, personal interests, and hobbies, as well as a broad age range. This diversity provides a range of opinions which lead to lively and spirited discussions. While most of the names on our active roster have changed over the years, the purpose, spirit, and character of the club remains unchanged.

In February 1967, the club hosted its first annual Book and Author Luncheon with guest author Ted Shine, Fine Arts instructor at Howard University, discussing his play, Sho Is Hot in the Cotton Patch. Book club members view these luncheons as an opportunity to provide Black writers with an appreciative audience, a way of sharing with a wider group of friends the stimulating exchange that occurs at regular meetings, and a vehicle for raising funds to support literary projects. This aspect of the club's history has always been considered an important contribution to the Washington DC literary community. (See historical timeline of past luncheons.)

The book club celebrated its 20th anniversary by publishing Cooking for the Club which contained recipes of favorite dishes served at our meetings. The key feature of the 25th anniversary luncheon was the presentation of our papers to the Moorland Spingarn Research Center at Howard University. On the 30th anniversary we created the Claudette Franklin Ford Scholarship. The establishment of neighborhood literacy project grants marked the year of our 35th anniversary. In our 40th year, we are initiating a project to collaborate with selected libraries, bookstores, and literacy groups to sponsor public book events.

From its inception, the Oracle Set Book Club made a commitment to initiate and support programs that encourage youth literacy. For 17 years, the club was a donor to Reading is Fundamental (RIF). In 1997, the creation of the annual Claudette Franklin Ford Scholarship Essay Competition for high school seniors marked a noteworthy expansion of our outreach program.

The enthusiastic response to the scholarship project from our luncheon guests prompted the establishment of the non-profit Oracle Set Foundation in 1999. Book club members continue to play a lead role in implementing foundation projects.