# Event Details - **Event Name**: Author Talk: Civil Rights Activism with MacArthur Cotton and John Obee - **Event Start and End Date**: Sun, 01 Feb, 2026 at 02:00 pm – Sun, 01 Feb, 2026 at 04:00 pm - **Event Description**: The duo discuss their book Mississippi's Black Cotton, a deep-dive into the courage of MacArthur and others of his era.About this EventThe Author Series Committee welcomes MacArthur Cotton and John Obee, authors of Mississippi's Black Cotton (NewSouth Books, 2025). The literature of the civil rights movement is replete with stories about the major actors in the movement, including, for example, Martin Luther King, but there is little focus on the MacArthur Cottons of the era: the young Black men and women who at great risk to their physical and mental health chose to become involved in the movement when so many others chose not to. Without these young Black people there would have been no movement, and what was accomplished with the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s would never have happened.This was particularly true in Mississippi, the most repressive of all fifty states, and one that had sponsored state terrorism to ensure that white supremacy reigned supreme. Despite having no real reason to believe that change could happen, MacArthur Cotton and those like him believed that they had to act. In MacArthur’s case, his actions were in the tradition of his activist family, and he relates his involvement with many of the important figures in the Mississippi movement, such as Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer.Importantly, he also honors others like him, who are largely unknown to history, such as the Greenes and McGees in Greenwood, who were waging their own war against their oppressive state. While having been imprisoned many times and having lived in a constant state of terror, Cotton persisted as a foot soldier in a war and, as with all veterans of wars, was left with emotional and psychological scars. Despite the toll that it took on him as a person, however, he remains a committed activist to this day.Copies of Mississippi's Black Cotton will be available for sale from Detroit's own !About MacArthur: MacARTHUR COTTON was a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi from 1961 through 1966. He later served as chairman of the Attala County NAACP and the Attala County Democratic Party. He lives in Kosciusko, Mississippi.About John: JOHN OBEE served in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi in the 1960’s. He later worked at the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, during which time he obtained his law degree. He clerked for the Honorable Blair Moody, Jr. of the Michigan Supreme Court. For the last 30+ years, he has specialized in the litigation of Housing Discrimination cases. He was an Adjunct Professor of Law (Housing Discrimination Law) at Michigan State College of Law and has lectured nationally and internationally on discrimination issues.This is NOT a ticketed event, meaning seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration is strongly encouraged so you receive important updates about this author talk. Questions? Email msummers@detroitpubliclibrary.org! - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/detroit/author-talk-civil-rights-activism-with-macarthur-cotton-and-john-obee/100001975825340782 - **Event Categories**: Art, literary-art, Theatre, health-wellness - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket URL**: https://consumer.pxf.io/c/1339408/3151484/39691?partnerpropertyid=1191892&MediaPartnerPropertyId=1191892&svlink=14105511&level=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com%2Fe%2Fauthor-talk-civil-rights-activism-with-macarthur-cotton-and-john-obee-tickets-1975825340782 - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Detroit - **state**: MI - **country**: United States - **location**: Main | Detroit Public Library - **lat**: 42.3585434 - **long**: -83.0667773 - **full address**: Main | Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, United States ## Event Organizer details - **affiliate_id**: 10 - **organizer**: Main | Detroit Public Library (https://allevents.in/org/main-|-detroit-public-library/22506338) ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: banner - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/6d94f004972d95243520cc898ba70839c4d67e55e9ba979eab85e438626f1635-rimg-w1200-h600-dcd09241-gmir.jpg?v=1764742945 - **Alt text**: thumbnail - **Image URL**: https://dyn-image.allevents.in/generate-image?v=4&title=Author+Talk%3A+Civil+Rights+Activism+with+MacArthur+Cotton+and+John+Obee&date=01+Feb ## FAQs - **Q**: When is the event happening? - **A:** Sun, 01 Feb, 2026 at 02:00 pm - **Q**: Where is the event happening? - **A:** Main | Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, United States - **Q**: What is the ticket price? - **A:** starting from 0 up to 0 USD - **Q**: Who is organizing the event? - **A:** Main | Detroit Public Library - **Q**: What type of event is this? - **A:** Art, literary-art, Theatre, health-wellness - **Q**: Where can I find ticket details about Author Talk: Civil Rights Activism with MacArthur Cotton and John Obee ? - **A:** You can find ticket details about this event on AllEvents. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Author Talk: Civil Rights Activism with MacArthur Cotton and John Obee", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/6d94f004972d95243520cc898ba70839c4d67e55e9ba979eab85e438626f1635-rimg-w1200-h600-dcd09241-gmir.jpg?v=1764742945", "startDate": "2026-02-01", "endDate": "2026-02-01", "url": "https://allevents.in/detroit/author-talk-civil-rights-activism-with-macarthur-cotton-and-john-obee/100001975825340782", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Main | Detroit Public Library", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "5201 Woodward Avenue", "postalCode": "48202", "addressLocality": "Detroit", "addressRegion": "MI", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "42.3585434", "longitude": "-83.0667773" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "The duo discuss their book Mississippi's Black Cotton, a deep-dive into the courage of MacArthur and others of his era.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-05", "availabilityEnds": "2026-02-01", "validFrom": "2026-04-05", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/detroit/author-talk-civil-rights-activism-with-macarthur-cotton-and-john-obee/100001975825340782" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-05", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-05", "url": "https://allevents.in/detroit/author-talk-civil-rights-activism-with-macarthur-cotton-and-john-obee/100001975825340782", "price": 0, "name": "Register for Reminders Here!" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Main Detroit Public Library", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/main-|-detroit-public-library/22506338", "description": "The Detroit Public Library enlightens and empowers people by providingDiverse andDynamicPathways toLiteracy andLearning.  The Library will be a vital force for promoting literacy, expanding the mind, creating opportunities for individuals and building community.If you require any further information about an event, please do not hesitate to contact the event organizer directly at the email provided for that event. 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