Examining one's family history is bound to expose some skeletons in the closet. Julie Carr tells the story of her great-grandfather, Omer Madison Kem, a spiritualist, three-term Nebraskan congressman, and founding member of the Populist Party. In Oregon, Kem owned a power company and became a fanatical eugenicist, who advocated for the forced sterilization of those deemed "unfit to breed" (a racist ideology later executed by the Nazis). Featuring a screening of Carolina Ebeid's short film featuring archival images, Carr's presentation focuses on the ties between the American eugenics movement, the ghosts of spiritualism, and contemporary US fascism and white supremacy. 

Author Julie Carr's most recent books are Mud, Blood, and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics, and Spiritualism in the American West; Real Life: An Installation; and the essay collection, Someone Shot My Book. She lives in Denver where she is the co-founder of Counterpath Press and a professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder. 

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp