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American Whitelash: A Changing Nation & the Cost of Progress

Author Talk with Wesley Lowery

The MLK Library will host an author talk with award winning journalist Wesley Lowery on his new book American. Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery will discuss his new book "American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress" with Eugene Scott, a senior political reporter at Axios.

 In this thought-provoking discussion, Lowery will delve into the disturbing rise of racial violence in the aftermath of President Obama’s election, unveiling a chilling narrative that confronts the white supremacist movement's attempts to fracture and incite division among Black Americans. By placing these events within a historical context, Lowery poses a pivotal question: how can we navigate the tension between the cherished values of free speech and the imperative pursuit of equality when some manipulate the former to undermine the latter?

Drawing on his extensive experience, Lowery brings a unique perspective to this dialogue. Recognized with Pulitzer Prize and the George Polk Award, his groundbreaking investigations into the connections between law enforcement, justice, politics, and policy have shed light on crucial societal issues.

Guiding this exchange is Eugene Scott, a senior political reporter at Axios known for his analysis of congressional leadership and identity politics. With a deep understanding of the complexities of race in politics, Scott has explored the presence of white identity within the Trump administration and examined the notion of a post-racial society following the Obama administration.

For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.

Wesley Lowery is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, best-selling author, podcast host and on-air correspondent. He specializes in uncovering the realities of the American criminal legal system, with a focus on law enforcement, using data-driven journalism.

At The Washington Post, Lowery led a Pulitzer-winning team for the "Fatal Force" project, which created a real-time database tracking fatal shootings by American police. His 2018 project, "Murder With Impunity," examining police's failure to solve homicides, was a Pulitzer finalist.

For 60 Minutes+, Lowery reported from protests in Minneapolis and Kenosha and the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. His work for GQ, Men’s Health, and Ebony has delved into a variety of issues and profiles, from marriage with Will Smith to opioid overdoses among Black men.

Lowery's first book, "They Can’t Kill Us All," won the 2017 Christopher Isherwood prize from the LA Times Book Prizes and became a New York Times bestseller. His podcasts, "Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret" and "More Than A Vote: Our Voices, Our Vote," have brought new perspectives to historical and current issues.

Presently, Lowery works with The Marshall Project on "Testify," examining Cleveland's criminal courts, and runs an investigative journalism lab at CUNY's Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

About the Moderator

Eugene Scott is a senior political reporter at the Axios covering congressional leadership. Scott formerly wrote for the Washington Post’s The Fix, writing about identity politics. While at CNN, as a Washington Correspondent, he participated in a series called “The First Time I Realized I Was Black, “in which he detailed his Black experience in America as a child.

Scott is a graduate of Harvard University and was a fellow at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service. He directed his attention toward race in politics, examining the presence of white identity in the Trump administration and whether the society was truly post-racial after the Obama administration ended. 

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