Date: Monday, September 28, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/OwnNeZ__T4ey3CtJmAWa7g
We are thrilled to announce that on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 7:00 PM ET via Zoom, we will be hosting a special virtual event featuring award-winning journalist and author Kevin Sack.
Join us via Zoom for an insightful discussion on his acclaimed book, Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church.
Co-hosted by the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and the Pennington Public Library
About the Book
Mother Emanuel is a sweeping history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches. From its daring founding in 1817 to its critical role in the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, Sack traces the long arc of Black life in Charleston—the city where nearly half of all enslaved Africans first disembarked in North America.
Through the microcosm of one congregation, Sack explores the depth of the desecration committed during the 2015 massacre, while revealing how African Methodism was cultivated from the harshest American soil. At its core, this is an epic tale of perseverance—the story of a people who withstood centuries of violence with unbending faith and transformed suffering into a profound practice of forgiveness.
The New York Times calls it “a masterpiece . . . a dense, rich, captivating narrative, featuring vivid prose . . . expansive, inspiring and hugely important.”
Accolades include:
- 2026 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for General Nonfiction
- The New York Times Top Ten Books of the Year
- Winner of the Willie Morris Award for Southern Writing
About the Author
Kevin Sack is a veteran journalist whose career spans four decades. A three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Sack spent 30 years as a senior writer at The New York Times, where he produced landmark long-form investigative projects on topics ranging from national politics to climate change. He has also served as a bureau chief and covered race and domestic affairs for the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In the spring of 2026, he served as a visiting lecturer and Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He is currently a board member of the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation and resides in Charleston, South Carolina.
We look forward to seeing you there for what promises to be a deeply moving and informative conversation.