# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis
- **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 28 Oct, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Wed, 28 Oct, 2026 at 08:30 pm (-04:00)
- **Event Description**: The forgotten lynching that launched America's fight for Black voting rights—and the federal cover-up that followed.

_Murder on the Hatchie _uncovers one of the earliest and most consequential crimes in America's long struggle for Black voting rights: the 1940 lynching of Elbert Williams in Brownsville, Tennessee. A founding member of the local NAACP, Williams was murdered for attempting to register Black voters, decades before the more famous murders of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers.

Through rigorous research and gripping narrative, retired trial attorney Jim Emison reconstructs the events surrounding Williams's lynching and the federal government's failure to prosecute his killers. Drawing on FBI files, Department of Justice correspondence, and eyewitness accounts, Emison reconstructs how white officials conspired to silence a community, implicating local law enforcement, federal agents, and even national NAACP leadership.

Emison repositions Brownsville as a pivotal site in civil rights history and exposes how voter suppression, racial terror, and government complicity shaped the American democracy we inherit today. With a foreword by Margaret A. Burnham, Murder on the Hatchie challenges liberal assumptions about justice and the embedded character of Jim Crow. For readers of Blood Done Sign My Name and By Hands Now Known, this is both a gripping true-crime investigation and a vital work of historical restoration.

After forty-three years as a Tennessee trial attorney, Jim Emison devoted his retirement to investigating the 1940 murder of NAACP leader Elbert Williams. Emison's work has been featured by the Associated Press, NPR, and Nashville Public Television, and led to a renewed Department of Justice review under the Emmett Till Act. Emison is the co-founder of Tennesseans for Historical Justice and a board member of the Tennessee Historical Society.

India Artis's passion for Black history began while studying under Dr. Vivian Gordon, the first Black woman to earn tenure at the University of Virginia. In 1988, she joined The Crisis, the NAACP's historic magazine founded by W.E.B. Du Bois, serving as Senior Advertising Representative before becoming Business Manager, where she worked closely with civil rights leaders Myrlie Evers-Williams, Julian Bond, and Roger Wilkins. Her mentor, with more than 70 years of service to the NAACP, Mildred Bond Roxborough, is the daughter of Ollie and Mattye Bond who established the Brownsville, TN NAACP branch with Elbert Williams. In 2021, Artis was appointed NAACP Archivist where she oversees the preservation of the Association's historic records and its partnership with the Library of Congress, home to the NAACP's more than five-million-item collection, ensuring the legacy of the civil rights movement continues to educate and inspire future generations.

Free or book-purchase RSVP!  https://withfriends.co/event/29011500/jim_emison_presents_murder_on_the_hatchie_in_conversation_w_india_artis
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/baltimore/jim-emison-presents-murder-on-the-hatchie-in-conversation-w-india-artis/200030628088108
- **Event Categories**: art, fine-arts, nonprofit
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 11

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Baltimore
- **state**: MD
- **country**: United States
- **location**: 3128 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD, United States, Maryland 21218
- **lat**: 39.327
- **long**: -76.60985
- **full address**: 3128 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD, United States, Maryland 21218

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/71c89796b7377ad1c4205fb3faa5c49adff79e30ab51567b017c4ae5ba1d17b5-rimg-w924-h484-dc181818-gmir?v=1788593087

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis being held?
  - **A:** Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis takes place on Wed, 28 Oct, 2026 at 07:00 pm to Wed, 28 Oct, 2026 at 08:30 pm at 3128 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD, United States, Maryland 21218.
- **Q**: Who is organizing Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis?
  - **A:** Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis is organized by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse.
- **Q**: What has been the experience of attendees at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse's events?
  - **A:** Attendees have given Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse a rating of 5/5 based on reviews from early attendees on AllEvents. Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse has a verified profile on AllEvents where you can read reviews and explore their upcoming events.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Baltimore, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Jim Emison presents "Murder on the Hatchie" in conversation w/ India Artis sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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