BRENTON NEWCOMB
Special to The Leader
Visiting author and Professor Edward Ball will be touching on the topic of racial violence in the present and past as well as the ancestry of his great-grandfather in his upcoming book, “The Life Of A Klansman.”
Ball, a professor at Yale University and non-fiction author of five books that mostly deal with racial violence, has family ancestors on his father’s side who owned roughly 4,000 slaves across a span of 25 rice plantations.
As a visiting professor, Ball will be speaking out about his ancestry and his story on Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Williams Center, room S204ABC from 2 – 3:00 p.m.
He will also be teaching Intermediate Creative Non-fiction this semester as well as an honors seminar, The Human Experience: Whiteness and White Supremacy.
“Slaves In The Family,” a NYT Best seller and National Book Award winner, recounts Ball’s family in South Carolina, and in it he seeks out African Americans who were once enslaved by his ancestors for 175 years.
Since his first book, Ball has spoken on NPR, major television networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and C-Span) and was featured on Oprah.
His upcoming book, “The Life Of A Klansman,” is likely to come out next year, and features Ball’s great-grandfather, a post-civil war carpenter.
His great-grandfather was a white supremest who joined the Klu Klux Klan — the hate group founded in 1865 that still exists today. Due to the focus on Ball’s great-grandfather, the book is part-memoir and part-history
Another of Ball’s books is “The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures.”
This non-fiction book takes place in the 1870s and details the working relationship between photographer Eadweard Muybridge and California railroad magnate Leland Stanford. The duo created the technology of stop-motion pictures, although this was after Muybridge murdered a man who slept with his wife.
Ball often deals with and writes on topics that are prevalent today just as much as they were in the past.
Professor Roslin Smith, the faculty member hosting Dr. Ball this semester said, “We may not have slaves … but it’s slavery in a different context.”
With racial violence in the news everyday, it seems it is necessary for him to give his voice to those unheard. Especially given his ancestral past, it seems all the more meaningful.
During the lecture, Ball will touch on the early years of tribal white identity as well as his upcoming book “The Life Of A Klansman.”
Professor McGowan-Kirsch, committee chair, described the relevance of these topics.
“We continue to hear about white supremacy and movements countering the Black Lives Matter movement. Ball’s lecture will offer students historical knowledge that can position them to better understand what’s happening today,” she said.
Whether less or more of a problem, even today hate groups such as the KKK exist and try to inflict fear.
Ball also wishes to send a strong message to the community and students with his knowledge on the topic.
“Providing students with the opportunity to work with faculty from all over the country is a useful experience,” said McGowan-Kirsch. “Given Dr. Ball’s background and expertise, students stand to gain knowledge they otherwise may not have.”
Smith also thinks that there is so much to gain from this topic.
“Having someone who has international knowledge … talking to students about things things they wouldn’t normally be experienced … at great lengths [is important for community and students,]” she said.
All are welcome to attend his lecture.
Light refreshments will be served. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, in Williams Center, Room S204, Ball will discuss his book, “Slaves in the Family.”