Elizabeth Dowling Taylor with Kim Long: Charleston READS! The Original Black Elite

As part of Charleston READS!, a collaboration between the Mayor’s Book Club, Oakwood University and Charleston Literary Festival, the Mayor invites the City of Charleston to read Elizabeth Dowling Taylor's remarkable book, The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era. Documenting the life of Daniel Murray, a successful black civic leader and assistant librarian at the Library of Congress, the book demonstrates the opportunities offered by Reconstruction for Murray to establish a resilient, influential black community in Washington and the subsequent decline of this community as a result of systemic racism.

Dowling Taylor joins Dr. Kim Long, Executive Director of the Lowcountry Rice Project and Board member of Charleston Literary Festival, in conversation.

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