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With a thump, the books arrive
I checked at the front door several times last week to see if the package had arrived. Finally, on Friday morning, I heard a thump on the steps and looked out to see the brown UPS truck at the curb. My books were there. My contract with History Press says I am to receive five…
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Hoping readers enjoy a good mystery
One of the uncomfortable moments in a newspaper reporter’s life is when you’re out somewhere, say grocery shopping at Giant, and a reader approaches. “I liked your story about my mother,” the reader might say. When this happened to me, I braced because I could hear a “but” coming. “I liked your story about my…
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Evil, unrelenting evil
The research I did for Condemned for Love in Old Virginia took me to some of the darkest corners of our state’s history, places I had heard about but never explored. When a student at Germanna Community College asked me recently what surprised me most about this journey, I answered with two words, “the evil.”…
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Slavery and Nathan Corder
Nathan Corder was the person most responsible for Arthur Jordan’s murder. He was also an enslaver from a long line of enslavers. Was there a link between the two? Did Corder’s past lead to his later cruelty? In his 1845 autobiography, Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person, said that slavery was harmful to both enslaver…
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‘No requiem, save the night wind’
One of the many things that enraged civil right advocate Ida B. Wells about lynching was the lack of remembrance for the victims. For Wells, the deaths were bad enough, but the shame and terror that accompanied those deaths were worse. “They had no requiem, save the night wind, no memorial service to bemoan their…
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I wish I’d said that
One of the curious aspects of book publishing occurs toward the end of the process, when the publisher sends you copies of the pages of your new book. The pages look exactly as they will in the finished book. The author’s job is to read them one more time and sign a statement saying that…
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Can a white man talk about the Black experience?
During a talk at Germanna Community College in February, a student asked me a question I have long considered. She wanted to know if I as a white man had the standing to talk about the prejudice experienced by Black people. I answered, yes, I believe I do. I realize that as a white man…
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Is Virginia ready to apologize for lynching?
I applaud the efforts of Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan and others to pass a lynching resolution in this year’s General Assembly, but I’m not optimistic about their chances. McClellan, a Democrat, represents portions of the Richmond area in the Virginia Senate. She is also chair of the state’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission and…
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Thank you, Mr. Baxley
I was saddened to learn last week of the passing of Henry Baxley Jr. Mr. Baxley died at his home in the Marshall area of Fauquier County. He was 88. His funeral will be held this afternoon. His obituary, posted at Fauquier Now, is here. I will always be grateful to Henry for the help…
Author & Lecturer
Jim Hall 