On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the Black Affairs Association hosted a virtual event with special guest, Curtis Wilkie.
An alumni and professor from the University of Mississippi, Wilkie is widely known as an expert on the American South, specifically in the state of Mississippi, where he is from.
He spoke on his new book, “When Evil Lived in Laurel,” and the struggles of African Americans in the South in not only the past but also today.
The book covers Laurel, Mississippi, in the 1960s and the men who helped to stop the racial injustice of the time in the deep South.
Quoting George Santayana at the beginning of the webinar, he said, “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.”
Wilkie has worked developing courses for the University of Mississippi on racial justice’s existence today, and how these current events are rooted in the past.
He also said in the meeting, “If my book accomplishes nothing else, I hope it shows the menace that held Mississippi in its grip, and I think my book does just this.”
He wanted his book to show the truth of the past while educating people today so that the future can be a more welcoming place for all. Wilkie encouraged college students to talk to each other about history and take advantage of the courses available which give the public a glimpse into a dark past, helping us all understand the struggles Black Americans faced and continue to face today.
“When Evil Lived in Laurel” is available for purchase in the ETSU Campus Bookstore, and for off campus students, it is available on Amazon and every major bookstore.
