Former NAACP President Ben Jealous will hold discussion and signing of his new book in Hampton Monday

Ben Jealous, former president and CEO of the NAACP, will be giving a talk at Hampton’s American Theatre Monday on racial injustice and the future of politics in the United States.

Jealous will discuss his new book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free: A Parable of American Healing” and will sign copies afterward. The book follows years of research into racial politics and explores topics such as the connection between social isolation and suicide and the impact of mass incarceration.

“His book will help us reflect on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going as a country and society,” said Robert Kelly, president of the Fort Monroe Historical Society, which is sponsoring the event.

During his time as the managing editor of the Jackson Advocate in the 1990s, his reporting exposed cancer clusters in rural Mississippi communities caused by pollution. In 2008, 35-year-old Jealous became the youngest leader of the NAACP, during which he launched the Climate Justice Program to address topics such as the impact of coal-fired plants on low-income communities. He held the position for about five years and in 2013 he was named a Young Global Leader by the Davos World Economic Forum. In 2022, he became executive director of the Sierra Club.

If you go

Where: American Theatre, 125 E. Mellen St. Hampton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

When: Monday, March 6

Tickets: Free

Details: hamptonarts.org/the-american-theatre

Everett Eaton, 262-902-7896, everett.eaton@virginiamedia.com