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Daniel C. Griffin
203-921-7487
dgriffin6@elon.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Author gives powerful lecture at Elon University to help celebrate black history month.
Ross Howell uses the 1912 murder trial of Virginia Christian to engage students in a
conversation about the reality of racism today in comparison to racism in the past.
Elon, N.C., February 16, 2016 Tonight, Ross Howell, author of the new book Forsaken,
held a captivating lecture at Elon University to help celebrate black history month. Speaking
on behalf of Elons Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education, Howell engaged Elon
students in an informative discussion by drawing parallels between the racial injustice
problems brought up in his book and the racial issues that we are still seeing today.
Forsaken, tells the true story about the 1912 murder trial of the 17-year-old African
American woman, Virginia Christian, which took place in small town of Hampton, Virginia.
Virginia was tried unfairly because of her race and became the first and only minor female to
ever be executed in the state of Virginia. Howell utilized both fictional and non-fictional
characters along with historically accurate details and artifacts to shed light on the raw and
relentless injustice African Americans faced during the early 1900s.
After reading several passages from his book, Howell got the audience thinking when he
brought into question the popular opinion that racism doesnt exist in todays society as it did
100 years ago. He explained that history isnt linear in that we dont overcome problems,
such as racism, and never see them again. History is much more like a pendulum; events,
thoughts, and beliefs swing to and fro, Howell said.
Howell pointed out that these deeply rooted problems are still prevalent today, however, we
are doing a better job hiding it. Howell specifically mentioned issues such as the Black Lives
Matter movement, the escalating police brutality seen against innocent African American
males and the high levels of African American men incarcerated in U.S. prisons today, which
he referred to as our new Jim Crow.
During the Q-and-A section of the lecture an Elon student asked Howell what he really wants
people to take away from his story. I hope readers will take away empathy to honor human
rights and human dignity, Howell said. I hope that we can continue to just do better as
human beings working with other human beings.
Elon University is a highly accredited four-year private liberal arts university located in
central North Carolina that is known for its unique engaged learning environment. The U.S.
News & World Report ranks Elon as the No. 1 Southern masters-level university as its
continuously recognized for its academic programs that lead to student success. In 2014
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Page 2, Howell Lectures on Racism

Forbes magazine named Elon University as one of four Rising Star universities in its
Americas Best Colleges rankings. Elon leads the nation with the number of students that
achieve a global study experience and was named the No. 1 most popular study abroad
program in the 2016 edition of the Princeton Review College Guide. For more information,
please visit elon.edu.
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