Email from From the Desk of James E. Clyburn   From the Desk of James E. Clyburn     The First Eight Shortly after publishing my memoir, Blessed Experiences, Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black, back in 2015, some visitors to my congressional office asked about the eight portraits that hang on my office wall. When I explained who they were, one of them expressed that they thought I was the first Black to serve in Congress from South Carolina. I playfully responded, “Oh no, before I was first, there were eight.” On that day, I decided that my next book would be about those eight pioneers. Like that visitor, many people are surprised to learn that I am the ninth African American to serve in Congress from South Carolina, and that, at one point, four of South Carolina’s five Representatives were Black. People are also amazed to learn that there was a 95-year-gap (1897 – 1992) between number eight and me. Being familiar with that 95-year gap, and the era and experiences of those eight pioneers, I recognized almost immediately what was taking place at our nation’s capital on January 6, 2021, and the shenanigans that took place in several states after the 2020 elections. Those events and the events that surrounded the 1876 Presidential election are starkly similar. Consequently, in addition to writing about the experiences of those eight historic figures, I felt moved to also address the what, when and whys of that 95-year gap, and highlight their comparisons to what we are witnessing today. In short, my passion became a purpose. The result is this book, The First Eight, which will be released by Little, Brown and Company on November 11th. The venues where we will be holding book events in November are listed below, as well as the QR code that I hope you will use and share with family and friends. Jim Clyburn 2025 TOUR DATES Tuesday, November 11th – New York, NY 8:00 PM: 92Y Tickets available Wednesday, November 12 – Philadelphia, PA 7:00 PM: The Free Library of Philadelphia SOLD OUT Friday, November 14th – Charleston, SC 11:00AM: Charleston Literary Festival SOLD OUT 5:00 PM: NAACP Banquet at FBC Family Life Center Saturday, November 15th – Atlanta, GA 3:30 PM: Barnes & Noble at Perimeter Mall Event details Sunday, November 16th – Sumter, SC 3:00 PM: Patriot Hall No tickets needed Tuesday, November 18th – Washington, DC 7:00 PM: GWU Betts Theater with Politics and Prose Tickets available Saturday, November 22nd – Boston, MA 7:00 PM: First Parish Church with Harvard Bookstore Tickets available  Monday, November 24th – Louisville, KY 6:00 PM: The Kentucky Author’s Forum Tickets available Sunday, November 30th – Nashville, TN 2:30 PM: Nashville Public Library at Green Hills No tickets needed Saturday, December 6th – Columbia, SC 10:00 AM: USC Joseph Rice School of Law No tickets needed  Sunday, December 7th – Orangeburg, SC 3:00 PM: Orangeburg County Conference Center No tickets needed Purchase The First Eight   Jim Clyburn | 1 M St SE Suite 275 | Washington, DC 20003 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice