Margaret Edds presents WHAT EYES CAN’T SEE: RALPH NORTHAM, BLACK RESOLVE, AND RACIAL RECKONING IN VIRGINIA, with Dr. Lloyd Kramer and Dianne Jackson

Co-sponsored by Flyleaf Books

Tuesday, February 7, 2023 – Signing Line at 5:30 pm, Talk begins at 6:00 pm

Click here order your book, and please indicate in the comments if you’d like 1-2 seats held for you at the event!

Flyleaf will offer seating for up to 60 in-person guests, with priority access given to folks who purchase the book. Masks recommended. There will be no streaming option for this event.

The transformation of Governor Ralph Northam

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s “blackface scandal” could have destroyed any politician. The photo of Governor Northam purportedly in blackface created a firestorm not only locally but also in every political sphere. What the Eyes Can’t See details why Northam’s career did not end with the scandal, and how it made him a better governor—and a better citizen.

In this book, Margaret Edds draws on unprecedented access to the governor, his aides, and members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, whose initial anger evolved into determination to mine good from an ugly episode. Both scolding and encouraging, they led Northam to a deeper understanding of the racism and pain the photograph symbolized. To Northam’s credit, he listened, and more importantly learned the lessons of endemic, systemic racism and applied those lessons to his legislative agenda. Edds provides a revealing examination of race in the nation, how racism might be addressed and reckoned with, and how we all may find a measure of redemption in listening to one another.