Postponed: Life of A Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy

The New Orleans Center for the Gulf South and A Studio in the Woods recently announced a virtual discussion of the book, Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy, by National Book Award winner Edward Ball. This book addresses painful truths of America’s racist past and present and serves as a history of white supremacy in Louisiana. It engages with the vibrant national discussion of anti-racism and as such is being discussed in prominent venues such as the New York Public Library and Politics and Prose, where major scholars of anti-racism such as Ibram X. Kendi and Saidiya Hartman are publicly engaging the author.

We understand, however, that the event, as planned, has caused distress for many in our community, and we apologize.  As a result, we’ve made the decision to postpone this event so we can reevaluate the best way to discuss the book and reframe our event to incorporate BIPOC voices from our community. The event will be included as part of a larger series of discussions hosted by the School of Liberal Arts this academic year on racial equity and justice, which will feature a range of prominent scholars and writers of color.

Tulane is fully committed to fostering an environment that is equitable, inclusive and just. Going forward, difficult discussions such as this will be important since, as we know, the work of dismantling racism is layered and complex. It will take all of us to eliminate racism from our communities and world.