# Event Details - **Event Name**: Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City - **Event Start and End Date**: Fri, 24 Apr, 2026 at 11:45 am – Fri, 24 Apr, 2026 at 01:30 pm (-05:00) - **Event Description**: Enjoy an event with South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn in Kansas City!About this EventJoin Rainy Day Books and Kansas City Friends of Representative Jim E. Clyburn at the Historic Paseo YMCA to celebrate The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation!Enjoy an intimate discussion of "The First Eight," Congressman Clyburn's recently released book on the eight African American Members of Congress from South Carolina who preceded him in office during the Reconstruction Era of the late 1800s.This event takes place at the Historic Paseo YMCA and includes a talk from the author and an opportunity to get your book signed.The first 100 tickets with books have kindly been donated by the Kansas City Friends of Representative Jim E. Clyburn.The BookThe First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a NationFrom one of America’s most venerable politicians, the powerful, untold story of the pioneering Black congressmen from South Carolina who were elected in the aftermath of the Civil War, revealing why it took nearly a century before the ninth, James Clyburn, was elected.Today, South Carolina congressman James E. Clyburn is renowned as a Democratic kingmaker and our nation’s most august Black political leader. But behind him stand eight other remarkable men: the first Black politicians to go to Congress from his home state, and who blazed a path for his own ascent. Since his own arrival in Congress in the early nineties, Congressman Clyburn has been guided by the wisdom and example of these men, and also instructed by their struggles—especially with the demon of American racism. South Carolina’s first eight Black congressmen all rose to office following the Civil War and emancipation, but then the dark veil of Jim Crow fell across the South. It would take nearly a century before the ninth Black representative, Clyburn himself, was elected.In The First Eight, Congressman Clyburn shares these men’s stories, and their message of liberty, with the nation they served. Among them are Joseph Rainey, the first Black politician to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in our nation’s history, who was born enslaved in 1832; Robert Smalls, iconic for his heroism during the Civil War, when he fled the Confederacy, stole a ship, and fought for the Union Army; and Richard Cain, who ran a widely read newspaper for Black South Carolinians and is associated with the Emanuel AME Church, one of the oldest and most distinguished Black churches in America, and where neo-Nazi Dylan Roof killed nine Black congregants in a mass shooting in 2015. Through the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and challenges that all nine men faced, Congressman Clyburn reveals a whole new way of understanding the period between the Civil War and the present.A unique blend of history and memoir, The First Eight is both a monument to the legacies of these eight trailblazing Americans, and also a clear-eyed appraisal of how far we’ve come, and how far we have left to go, in our nation’s ongoing struggle for true democracy.The AuthorJames E. Clyburn, the Congressman representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he previously served as Majority Whip. A more than 30-year Congressional veteran, he has been an influential and effective legislative leader and an unwavering voice for civil rights. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, during the Jim Crow era, he has been awarded the NAACP’s highest honor – the Spingarn Medal, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation’s Liberty and Justice for All Award, the Harry S. Truman Foundation’s Good Neighbor Award, and holds honorary degrees from nearly 40 colleges and universities. In 2024, he was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.This event was made possible by:Dianne & Congressman Emanuel Cleaver lIJulana Harper-Sachs & Adam P. SachsKerry AdamDr. Kimberly Beatty & Kelvin BeattyHon. Alvin BrooksProf. Julie Cheslik & Paul BlackGwendolyn GrantBob KendrickKim & Nikki NewtonSteve SwartzmanPlease Note: There are no refunds for this event. If you are unable to attend, your book will be available for pickup at Rainy Day Books starting the following day. If you are not local, we'll be happy to mail it to you upon request. Thank you for your support!We will hold your event book in-store for a maximum of 6 months following the event. If you have not retrieved your book in that time period, it will be donated. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/kansas-city/jim-clyburn-the-first-eight-in-kansas-city/100001986343197976 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, sports, nonprofit - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 38.26, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Kansas City - **state**: MO - **country**: United States - **location**: 1824 W Paseo Blvd - **lat**: 39.0825582 - **long**: -94.5668908 - **full address**: 1824 W Paseo Blvd, 1824 West Paseo Boulevard, Kansas City, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/b1b883c423e7275d0b4f07150323cde6440b7813685e73ec861f33c30af9f612-rimg-w1200-h600-dc0e4f8e-gmir.jpg?v=1774986804 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City being held? - **A:** Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City takes place on Fri, 24 Apr, 2026 at 11:45 am to Fri, 24 Apr, 2026 at 01:30 pm at 1824 W Paseo Blvd, 1824 West Paseo Boulevard, Kansas City, United States. - **Q**: How much do tickets cost for Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City? - **A:** Tickets for Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City are priced at USD 38 per person. Here's a full breakdown of available ticket types:Ticket TypePriceAvailabilityFREE TICKET: 1 seat, 1 book (limited)FreeAvailable1 seat, 1 bookUSD 38 + USD 3 feeAvailable - **Q**: Who is organizing Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City? - **A:** Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City is organized by Rainy Day Books. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Jim Clyburn, The First Eight in Kansas City", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/b1b883c423e7275d0b4f07150323cde6440b7813685e73ec861f33c30af9f612-rimg-w1200-h600-dc0e4f8e-gmir.jpg?v=1774986804", "startDate": "2026-04-24T11:45:00-05:00", "endDate": "2026-04-24T13:30:00-05:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/kansas-city/jim-clyburn-the-first-eight-in-kansas-city/100001986343197976", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "1824 W Paseo Blvd", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "1824 West Paseo Boulevard", "postalCode": "64108", "addressLocality": "Kansas City", "addressRegion": "MO", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "39.0825582", "longitude": "-94.5668908" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Enjoy an event with South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn in Kansas City!", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-03-31", "availabilityEnds": "2026-04-24T13:30:00-05:00", "validFrom": "2026-03-31", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "38.26", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/kansas-city/jim-clyburn-the-first-eight-in-kansas-city/100001986343197976" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-03-31", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-03-31", "url": "https://allevents.in/kansas-city/jim-clyburn-the-first-eight-in-kansas-city/100001986343197976", "price": 0, "name": "FREE TICKET: 1 seat, 1 book (limited)" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-03-31", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-03-31", "url": "https://allevents.in/kansas-city/jim-clyburn-the-first-eight-in-kansas-city/100001986343197976", "price": "38.26", "name": "1 seat, 1 book" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Rainy Day Books", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/rainy-day-books/18487938", "description": "Vivien L. Jennings is the Founder & President of Rainy Day Books, Inc.  Since Vivien opened the doors on November 04, 1975, Rainy Day Books has provided the Greater Kansas City community with a gathering place, a wellspring for ideas and creative thought, and an ongoing voice for literacy and awareness.  Rainy Day Books is the major independent bookseller in Kansas City, recognized locally and nationally profiled by The Kansas City Star, KC Small Business and Publishers Weekly for its community Author Events, which average 300 plus per year.  Rainy Day Books recommends selections to over 140 Book Clubs in the area.  Vivien and her partner Roger Doeren support many local charitable and civic organizations in raising both funds and awareness through many of the community Author Events.  Their philosophy is: \"Bigger Isn't Better.  Better Is Better.  We are interested not so much in what we have done, but more in what we still want to do.  It is thrilling to watch people leave our Events with the knowledge that authors and their books can expand their awareness, improve their health, make them laugh, touch their hearts, and encourage them to achieve a better life in abetter world. This is truly the spirit of the 'Legacy of Literacy' that we hope to contribute to the community.\"" } ] } ] ```