Margaret Edds presents WHAT THE EYES CAN'T SEE: RALPH NORTHAM, BLACK RESOLVE, AND RACIAL RECKONING IN VIRGINIA, with Dr. Lloyd Kramer and Dianne Jackson
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 - Signing Line at 5:30 pm, Talk begins at 6:00 pm
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Flyleaf will offer seating for up to 60 in-person guests, with priority access given to folks who purchase the book. Masks recommended.
The transformation of Governor Ralph Northam
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's "blackface scandal" could have destroyed any politician. The photo of Governor Northam purportedly in blackface created a firestorm not only locally but also in every political sphere. What the Eyes Can't See details why Northam's career did not end with the scandal, and how it made him a better governor—and a better citizen.
In this book, Margaret Edds draws on unprecedented access to the governor, his aides, and members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, whose initial anger evolved into determination to mine good from an ugly episode. Both scolding and encouraging, they led Northam to a deeper understanding of the racism and pain the photograph symbolized. To Northam's credit, he listened, and more importantly learned the lessons of endemic, systemic racism and applied those lessons to his legislative agenda. Edds provides a revealing examination of race in the nation, how racism might be addressed and reckoned with, and how we all may find a measure of redemption in listening to one another.
Margaret Edds is a former reporter and editorial writer for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. She is the author of several books, including We Face the Dawn: Oliver Hill, Spottswood Robinson, and the Legal Team That Dismantled Jim Crow; Finding Sara: A Daughter's Journey; and An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington Jr.
Dianne Jackson is a retired educator in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System and a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, Campaign for Racial Equity, OCCRC, and Bridging the Gap Foundation.
Lloyd Kramer is a Professor of History and Director of Carolina Public Humanities (CPH) at UNC, Chapel Hill. He received his PhD at Cornell University and served previously as Chair of the UNC-CH History Department. His research and teaching focus on European history, with particular attention to modern France and the Atlantic world.
