Author to speak at IHC dinner

COEUR d'ALENE - Pulitzer Prize-winning author Diane McWhorter will be the featured speaker at this year's Idaho Humanities Council Northern Idaho Distinguished Humanities Lecture and Dinner.

On Sept. 22 at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, McWhorter will discuss her book, "Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution." Rick Ardinger, executive director of IHC, told The Press that his organization is excited to have McWhorter join a distinguished group of historians and authors who have spoken at the event since it began in 2004.

"Given Coeur d'Alene's history of working in civil rights, I think she will be very well-received," Ardinger said. "She has a great sense of humor and can balance the tragedy of that era with some funny stories about growing up in Birmingham during that time period."

Known as "The Year of Birmingham," 1963 was a turning point in America's long civil rights struggle. In her book, McWhorter uses police and FBI records, archival documents, interviews with Klansmen and black activists, and personal memories into a narrative of the personalities and events that brought about America's second emancipation.

"'Carry Me Home' is a big book, but it goes fast and I think it will be great summer reading for folks in Coeur d'Alene," Ardinger said. "While many histories of the Civil Rights Movement tell the incredible story of Martin Luther King's nonviolent struggle, King is a minor character in McWhorter's book, which explores the story of many in Birmingham who were against integration."

Prior to the dinner, McWhorter will meet with students from Coeur d'Alene High School. Teachers at the school will have their students read a selection of the book and come prepared with questions for the author.

For more information on the event, or to purchase a ticket, visit www.idahohumanities.org or call (888)345-5346.