In collaboration with the History Book Festival, join us for a live, interactive talk with J. Chester Johnson, author of Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and A Story of Reconciliation, one of the books featured at the 2020 virtual History Book Festival.

The Elaine Race Massacre took place in and around the town of Elaine, Arkansas, in 1919 when white residents felt threatened by black sharecroppers’ attempts to unionize. Author J. Chester Johnson was an adult before he learned that his beloved grandfather had participated in an event that led to the deaths of at least 100 African Americans (exact numbers are unknown). In 2014, Johnson met Sheila L. Walker, a descendant of several massacre victims, and the two joined to pursue a path toward racial reconciliation. Walker wrote the Foreward to the book.

J. Chester Johnson is a poet, essayist, and translator who has written extensively on race and civil rights. He was co-chair of the Elaine Massacre Memorial Committee.

Sheila L. Walker will be in conversation with Johnson. She became involved in the civil rights movement at an early age and has served in federal law enforcement, the U.S. Army Reserve, and the healthcare field.

We invite you to support the author by purchasing a copy of Damaged Heritage from Browseabout Books by clicking HERE. Call-in orders are accepted at (302) 226-2665 or you can stop by the store to purchase a copy. For store hours, please visit their website.

NOTE: this meeting is being conducted through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER to receive instructions for joining the meeting.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email us.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here.