The system of educational apartheid that existed in the United States until the Brown v. Board of Education decision and its aftermath has affected every aspect of life for Black Americans. Dirt Don't Burn by Larry Roeder and Barry Harrelson is the narrative of an extraordinary community that overcame cultural and legal hurdles of systematic racism. It describes how Loudoun County, Virginia, which once denied educational opportunity to Black Americans, gradually increased the equality of education for all children in the area. The book includes stories of largely unknown individuals and organizations that brought change to enduring habits of exclusion and prejudice toward African Americans. Dirt Don't Burn sheds new light on the history of segregation and inequity in American history. It provides new historical details and insights into African American experiences based on original research through thousands of records, archival NAACP files, and records of educational philanthropies.

Larry Roeder is the chief executive officer and chair of the board of the Edwin Washington Society. Barry Harrelson is an editor of the Bulletin of Loudoun County and the Edwin Washington Society.

Pre-registration is required for this event. Please call 703-737-7195, email balchlib@leesburgva.gov or register online https://tinyurl.com/TBLEvents