The C.O.W.S. On Virginia Christian: FORSAKEN

The Context of White Supremacy welcomes Ross Howell Jr. A University of Virginia alumnus, prolific writer and a White man, Howell resides in North Carolina with his wife and rescued dogs. We’ll discuss his newly printed debut novel, Forsaken. The book centers around a significant piece of authentic Virginia history. Howell describes the tragic life of Virginia Christian. This black teenager was given the death penalty and executed for killing her White female employer in 1912. Christian alleged that the White woman, Ida Belote, falsely accused her and physically assaulted her with an object; Christian defended herself and killedBelote in the process. Christian was swiftly arrested, convicted and electrocuted. We’ll discuss why Ross Howell became interested in this case as well as why he chose present this material in the form of fiction. The main character who guides us through Forsaken is a “well-meaning” White journalist (Charlie Mears), who does practice Racism, but is eventually accused of violating his duties to the White Race. Gus is a  Virginia native and a UVA graduate; however, he never heard a peep about Ms. Christian.