Another Sojourner Looking for Truth Author Talk with Millicent E. Brown (Washington, DC)

May 1, 2024 @ 7pm | Location: Politics and Prose, 610 Water St SW Washington, DC 20024

May 1, 2024 @ 7pm
Location: Politics and Prose, 610 Water St SW Washington, DC 20024
Hosted by: Politics and Prose

Join us for an author talk with Millicent E. Brown, in conversation with James Counts Early. A lifelong social justice advocate, Brown shares memories and insights from her search for freedom as an African American woman as detailed in her new book, Another Sojourner Looking for Truth.

Millicent E. Brown's family home at 270 Ashley Avenue in Charleston, South Carolina, was a center of civil rights activity. There Brown gained intimate knowledge of the struggle for racial justice, and those experiences set her on a life course dedicated to the civil rights struggle. Best known as the named plaintiff in the federal court case that, in 1963, forced the initial desegregation of public schools in South Carolina, her experiences as an activist range across years and well beyond her native state. Another Sojourner Looking for Truth is Brown's insightful reflection on her search for freedom in a nation deeply mired in white supremacist beliefs and overt violence against people of color.

In this revealing memoir, Brown writes about her fears and doubts, as well as the challenges of being a teenager expected to "represent the race" to combat negative stereotypes of African Americans. Readers also gain perspective on the interpersonal aspects of white backlash to civil rights progress and strategic machinations within the movement. Overall, Brown's words will inform, inspire, and challenge everyone to better understand the civil rights struggle and confront its ongoing challenges.

Millicent E. Brown is a retired associate professor of history from Claflin University, having taught at several other institutions of higher education. She is a lifelong community advocate and spokesperson for improvements in historically and currently exploited neighborhoods and communities of color. Currently she consults with museums, historical sites, and organizations seeking more accurate analyses of social justice initiatives.

James Counts Early is the former Assistant Secretary for Education and Public Service, Director Cultural Heritage Policy Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Acting Director Anacostia Neighborhood Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Hosted by Politics and Prose.

Learn More