When: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM EST

Where: In-person in our Archives and Research building or online via ZOOM.

This is a free event, though donations are greatly appreciated to support our mission and to continue to bring you educational programming.

Join us for a compelling book talk with author Earl Swift on his gripping work Hell Put to Shame, a powerful true account of one of the most brutal and largely forgotten episodes of racial violence in early 20th-century America. Set in rural Georgia in 1921, the book uncovers the murder of eleven Black farmhands held in conditions of debt slavery, exposing the harsh realities of peonage long after the Civil War. Blending investigative narrative, courtroom drama, and historical insight, Swift brings to life the courageous efforts of figures such as James Weldon Johnson, Walter F. White, and Hugh M. Dorsey, whose pursuit of justice challenged the norms of the Jim Crow South. This thought-provoking program offers a sobering look at a hidden chapter of American history and its enduring relevance today.

Mr. Swift’s Book will be on sale the night of the event.

About The Speaker

Journalist Earl Swift has written seven books and hundreds of major features for newspapers and magazines, all distinguished by evocative language and deeply immersive reporting. Since 2012, he has been a fellow of Virginia Humanities at the University of Virginia.