Presented by Boxser Diversity Initiative

An Evening with Author Gilbert King & Hon. Charles E. Williams

Location

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
1534 Mound Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
Get Directions

Date & Time

Thursday, 02/13/2025
6:00pm EDT - 7:30pm EDT
Add to Calendar 02/13/2025 06:00:00 PM 02/13/2025 07:30:00 PM America/New_York An Evening with Author Gilbert King & Hon. Charles E. Williams Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with acclaimed author Gilbert King and Judge Charles Williams as they explore the intersection of legal history and social justice. King discusses the gripping narratives of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Devil in the Grove and his latest work Beneath a Ruthless Sun. Together, they examine the chilling legacy of Sheriff Willis McCall, a central figure to both books, as well as the life experiences of African Americans in Florida during the Jim Crow era. Discover how the history of race relations, law, politics, and economics shaped the lives of people profiled in his books. Gain unique insights into the art of non-fiction writing, as King reveals how his investigative storytelling transcends the crimes themselves to reflect on the broader issues of criminal justice and the American experience. This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; reservations required.   About the Speakers Gilbert King is the author of three books including Devil in the Grove, winner of a 2013 Pulitzer Prize. He is also the writer, producer, and host of Bone Valley, a podcast about murder and injustice in 1980s central Florida. King has written about race, civil rights, and the death penalty for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and he was a 2019-2020 fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Writers and Scholars at the New York Public Library. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Hon. Charles E. Williams is a judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Sarasota County. A Howard University and University of Florida alumnus, Williams has earned numerous accolades for his commitment to public service, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sarasota County NAACP and the C.L. McKaig Award from the Sarasota County Bar Association. Beyond the courtroom, he is an accomplished filmmaker, known for his award-winning documentaries such as Through The Tunnel and Newtown at 100. He serves on the boards of the Boxser Diversity Initiative, Embracing Our Differences, Florida Studio Theatre, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Judge Williams is dedicated to mentoring future generations of lawyers and leaders through his work with the Booker High School Law Academy.   Marie Selby Botanical Gardens 1534 Mound Street Sarasota, FL 34236

Price

Free
Get Tickets

About This Event

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with acclaimed author Gilbert King and Judge Charles Williams as they explore the intersection of legal history and social justice. King discusses the gripping narratives of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Devil in the Grove and his latest work Beneath a Ruthless Sun. Together, they examine the chilling legacy of Sheriff Willis McCall, a central figure to both books, as well as the life experiences of African Americans in Florida during the Jim Crow era. Discover how the history of race relations, law, politics, and economics shaped the lives of people profiled in his books. Gain unique insights into the art of non-fiction writing, as King reveals how his investigative storytelling transcends the crimes themselves to reflect on the broader issues of criminal justice and the American experience.

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; reservations required.

 

About the Speakers

Gilbert King is the author of three books including Devil in the Grove, winner of a 2013 Pulitzer Prize. He is also the writer, producer, and host of Bone Valley, a podcast about murder and injustice in 1980s central Florida. King has written about race, civil rights, and the death penalty for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and he was a 2019-2020 fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Writers and Scholars at the New York Public Library. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Hon. Charles E. Williams is a judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Sarasota County. A Howard University and University of Florida alumnus, Williams has earned numerous accolades for his commitment to public service, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sarasota County NAACP and the C.L. McKaig Award from the Sarasota County Bar Association. Beyond the courtroom, he is an accomplished filmmaker, known for his award-winning documentaries such as Through The Tunnel and Newtown at 100. He serves on the boards of the Boxser Diversity Initiative, Embracing Our Differences, Florida Studio Theatre, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Judge Williams is dedicated to mentoring future generations of lawyers and leaders through his work with the Booker High School Law Academy.

 

About This Event

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with acclaimed author Gilbert King and Judge Charles Williams as they explore the intersection of legal history and social justice. King discusses the gripping narratives of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Devil in the Grove and his latest work Beneath a Ruthless Sun. Together, they examine the chilling legacy of Sheriff Willis McCall, a central figure to both books, as well as the life experiences of African Americans in Florida during the Jim Crow era. Discover how the history of race relations, law, politics, and economics shaped the lives of people profiled in his books. Gain unique insights into the art of non-fiction writing, as King reveals how his investigative storytelling transcends the crimes themselves to reflect on the broader issues of criminal justice and the American experience.

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; reservations required.

 

About the Speakers

Gilbert King is the author of three books including Devil in the Grove, winner of a 2013 Pulitzer Prize. He is also the writer, producer, and host of Bone Valley, a podcast about murder and injustice in 1980s central Florida. King has written about race, civil rights, and the death penalty for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and he was a 2019-2020 fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Writers and Scholars at the New York Public Library. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Hon. Charles E. Williams is a judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Sarasota County. A Howard University and University of Florida alumnus, Williams has earned numerous accolades for his commitment to public service, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sarasota County NAACP and the C.L. McKaig Award from the Sarasota County Bar Association. Beyond the courtroom, he is an accomplished filmmaker, known for his award-winning documentaries such as Through The Tunnel and Newtown at 100. He serves on the boards of the Boxser Diversity Initiative, Embracing Our Differences, Florida Studio Theatre, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Judge Williams is dedicated to mentoring future generations of lawyers and leaders through his work with the Booker High School Law Academy.

 

Getting There

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
1534 Mound Street
Sarasota, FL 34236

Get Directions

Location

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
1534 Mound Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
Get Directions

Date & Time

Thursday, 02/13/2025
6:00pm EDT - 7:30pm EDT
Add to Calendar 02/13/2025 06:00:00 PM 02/13/2025 07:30:00 PM America/New_York An Evening with Author Gilbert King & Hon. Charles E. Williams Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with acclaimed author Gilbert King and Judge Charles Williams as they explore the intersection of legal history and social justice. King discusses the gripping narratives of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Devil in the Grove and his latest work Beneath a Ruthless Sun. Together, they examine the chilling legacy of Sheriff Willis McCall, a central figure to both books, as well as the life experiences of African Americans in Florida during the Jim Crow era. Discover how the history of race relations, law, politics, and economics shaped the lives of people profiled in his books. Gain unique insights into the art of non-fiction writing, as King reveals how his investigative storytelling transcends the crimes themselves to reflect on the broader issues of criminal justice and the American experience. This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; reservations required.   About the Speakers Gilbert King is the author of three books including Devil in the Grove, winner of a 2013 Pulitzer Prize. He is also the writer, producer, and host of Bone Valley, a podcast about murder and injustice in 1980s central Florida. King has written about race, civil rights, and the death penalty for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and he was a 2019-2020 fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Writers and Scholars at the New York Public Library. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Hon. Charles E. Williams is a judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Sarasota County. A Howard University and University of Florida alumnus, Williams has earned numerous accolades for his commitment to public service, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sarasota County NAACP and the C.L. McKaig Award from the Sarasota County Bar Association. Beyond the courtroom, he is an accomplished filmmaker, known for his award-winning documentaries such as Through The Tunnel and Newtown at 100. He serves on the boards of the Boxser Diversity Initiative, Embracing Our Differences, Florida Studio Theatre, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Judge Williams is dedicated to mentoring future generations of lawyers and leaders through his work with the Booker High School Law Academy.   Marie Selby Botanical Gardens 1534 Mound Street Sarasota, FL 34236

Price

Free
Get Tickets
Author Gilbert King
Author Gilbert King

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Hon. Charles E. Williams
Hon. Charles E. Williams

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Funding for BDI's 2024-25 Discussion Series is provided by the Zella I. and Junius F. Allen Fund and the Frederick Gallo Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $488 million in more than 1,580 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $40 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $435.8 million to area nonprofit organizations to our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.