Author Night: An Evening with Donald E. Williams, Jr.

6:00 p.m.
459 Wolf Den Road | Brooklyn, CT

Sponsored by the Day Kimball Hospital Woman's Board

Meet Donald E. Williams, author of Prudence Crandall's Legacy and enjoy a discussion of the book along with a raffle and refreshments.

About the Author and His Book

Prudence Crandall was a schoolteacher who fought to integrate her school in Canterbury, Connecticut, and educate black women in the early nineteenth century. When Crandall accepted a black woman as a student, she unleashed a storm of controversy that catapulted her to national notoriety, and drew the attention of the most significant pro- and anti-slavery activists of the day. The Connecticut state legislature passed its infamous Black Law in an attempt to close down her school. Arrested and jailed, Crandall’s legal legacy had a lasting impact—Crandall v. State was the first full-throated civil rights case in U.S. history. The arguments by attorneys in Crandall played a role in two of the most fateful Supreme Court decisions, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. In Prudence Crandall’s Legacy, author and lawyer Donald E. Williams Jr. marshals a wealth of detail concerning the life and work of Prudence Crandall, her unique role in the fight for civil rights, and her influence on legal arguments for equality in America.

Event Details and Reservation Information

Book groups and friends are encouraged to attend, and to bring copies of the book to be autographed. 

• Appetizers, stews, salad and desserts will be served. Guests may bring their own beer or wine and corkscrew.
• A raffle will be held
• All proceeds will benefit the Woman's Board fundraising efforts to support the purchase of new anesthesiology and nerve monitoring equipment for Day Kimball Hospital.
• There is limited parking, so carpooling is encouraged.
• There is limited seating and last year's event sold out, so make your reservations early!
• Suggested donation to attend is $35 per person. 

Print and mail the author night registration form, along with your check payable to DKHWB, by September 30 in order to secure your reservation.

Learn more about the Woman's Board >