NPR Producer Talks About His Book on Our National Struggle with a Racist Legacy

Connor Towne O’Neill, author of Down Along with that Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory and the Legacy of White Supremacy.

According to a statement, “The past few months of protests following the horrific and untimely death of George Floyd and countless other Black lives has continued the conversation around the systems of white supremacy that still plague America. One of the main targets for protests and activists around the country has been the Confederate monuments that still stand in many major cities from Birmingham to Richmond to New Orleans, because these statues are not just symbols of a forgotten and long ago past, but also symbols of racist systems that persist today. Now, with a book that could not be more timely, comes Down Along with that Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory and the Legacy of White Supremacy (Publication Date: September 29, 2020; $26.95).”

“A chance meeting with supporters of one of these monuments depicting notorious Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest in Selma, Alabama inspired journalist Connor Towne O’ Neill, a producer on the NPR podcast White Lies, (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), to take a deep dive into American history and the still-raging battles throughout the South. Through the lens of conflicts over Forrest monuments in Selma, Murfreesboro, Nashville, and Memphis, O’Neill examines the legacy of white supremacy in America, talking with citizens who are on both sides of the arguments: those who believe they are preserving their heritage and those who see the landmarks as dedicated monuments to racist ideals that prevent the country from making progress toward true justice for Black Americans.”