Journalist Rochelle Riley to Discuss ‘The Burden’ Oct. 20

The Lewes Public Library and Browseabout Books will host an online conversation with Rochelle Riley, editor of the new collected essays “The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery” at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20, via Zoom.

“The Burden” presents a plea to America to understand what life post-slavery remains like for many African Americans. The powerful collection of essays expresses the voices of well-known Americans such as actor/director Tim Reid, who compares slavery to a cancer diagnosis; former Detroit News columnist Betty DeRamus, who recounts the discrimination she encountered as a young black Detroiter in the South; and actress Aisha Hinds, who explains how slavery robbed an entire race of value and self-worth. Edited by award-winning Detroit newspaper columnist Rochelle Riley, the essays create a chorus of evidence that the burden – of fighting racial injustice, rising above lowered expectations, and battling hateful bigotry – is real.

Riley is an award-winning newspaper columnist who is no longer seeking permission to put the burden down. She offers commentary on MSNBC and NPR, and contributes to Essence and Ebony magazines. She was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 2016, received the 2017 Ida B. Wells Award from the National Association of Black Journalists and Northwestern University, and was awarded the 2017 Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship by the Society of Professional Journalists.

The discussion is free to the public. Registration is required. To sign up, go to lewes.lib.de.us and visit the Virtual Programs for Adults page.

Participants also are encouraged to support the author by purchasing a copy of the book from local independent bookstore Browseabout Books. Each copy purchased comes with an archival bookplate signed by the author. Orders may be placed online at browseaboutbooks.com, by calling the store at 302-226-2665, or in person at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach.