Name: The James Weldon Johnson Institute Presents Author of House of Diggs, Marion Orr
Start: 2026-07-23T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-07-23T20:00:00-04:00
Location: Auburn Avenue Research Library

Upcoming

Thursday

July 23

6 PM – 8 PM

Where

Auburn Avenue Research LibraryLibrary · Downtown

Ages: All ages

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About

The James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory College of Arts and Sciences along with The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and Charis Books presents Author of House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr. (Justice, Power, and Politics) and Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Urban Studies at Brown University, Marion Orr in conversation with Andrea Gillespie, Director of The James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. About The Book At the height of the civil rights movement, Charles C. Diggs Jr. (1922–1998) was the consummate power broker. In a political career spanning 1951 to 1980, Diggs, Michigan’s first Black member of Congress, was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till’s killers, worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr., and founded the Congressional Black Caucus. He was also the chief architect of legislation that restored home rule to Washington, DC, and almost single-handedly ignited the American anti-apartheid movement in the 1960s. Drawing on extensive archival research, including Diggs’s rarely seen personal papers, FBI documents, and original interviews with family members and political associates, political scientist Marion Orr reveals that Diggs practiced a politics of strategic moderation. Orr argues that this quiet approach was more effective than the militant race politics practiced by Adam Clayton Powell and more appealing than the conservative Chicago-style approach of William Dawson—two of Diggs’s better-known Black contemporaries. Vividly written and deeply researched, House of Diggs is the first biography of Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr., one of the most consequential Black federal legislators in US history. Congressman Diggs was a legislative lion whose unfortunate downfall punctuated his distinguished career and pushed him and his historic accomplishments out of sight. Now, for the first time, House of Diggs restores him to his much-deserved place in the history of American politics. About The Author Marion Orr's expertise is in the area of American politics. He specializes in urban politics, race and ethnic politics, and African-American politics. He is the author and editor of eight books. His book, House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs, Jr. (University of North Carolina Press, 2025), is the first biography of Michigan's first Black member of the U.S. House of Representatives. About The Moderator Andra Gillespie is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute at Emory University. She earned her BA from the University of Virginia and her MA, MPhil, and PhD from Yale University, additionally gaining practical experience as an analyst for Democratic pollster Mark Mellman. Her research and teaching portfolio primarily focus on African American politics, racial solidarity, and the political leadership of the post-civil rights generation. She has written extensively on these subjects, serving as the author of The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark and Post-Racial America and the editor of Whose Black Politics? Cases in Post-Racial Black Leadership. Her secondary academic interests include political participation, inter-minority group competition, and American evangelical politics. Gillespie’s academic contributions have earned her numerous prestigious honors, including selection as a Ford Foundation Diversity Post-Doctoral Fellow at Princeton University and a Martin Luther King Visiting Scholar at MIT. Alongside her scholarly pursuits, she maintains an active public profile as a political commentator. She frequently provides analysis for prominent local and national news outlets, including CNN, NPR, and local network affiliates, and her editorials have appeared in The Washington Post, Politico, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Auburn Avenue Research Library hosts this free Fulton County Library event in Atlanta, with 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, room or area: Auditorium. Expect a library-led reading, book, or discussion format rather than a ticketed performance. The library event page is the source for current capacity and access notes.