About this Event
Celeste Headlee comes from a long line of strong women. But there is one woman whose story loomed larger than the rest: that of her great grandmother, Carrie.
To a young Headlee, Carrie Still Shepperson held almost mythical status. Born into the chaos of the Civil War, Carrie graduated from college, became a teacher, and dedicated her life to providing access to education and literacy for Black people living in the South. She received many honors and accolades in her lifetime, and was a respected and well-known figure. And yet her story, as is so often the case with Black women’s legacies, had been nearly erased.
It took Headlee nearly a decade to piece together Carrie’s life. But in Freedom’s Daughters, Headlee has rendered not only her great-grandmother’s forgotten story, but those of her sisters—a generation of women who believed freedom was inextricably linked with learning and free expression, and who worked tirelessly to secure access to literacy and education for a generation of Black children born into freedom.
By turns shocking, inspiring, and deeply moving, Freedom’s Daughters is Headlee’s impeccably researched, beautifully rendered journey to better understand her family history, herself, and the blurry lines that separate past and present.
Celeste Headlee is joining us on the Busboys stage to share “a moving testament to how new revelations surface when telling history is in the hands of slavery’s descendants” (Martha S. Jones, author of The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Headlee will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Doors open to guests at 5:30pm. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of FREEDOM’S DAUGHTER will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
CELESTE HEADLEE is an award-winning journalist, professional speaker and the author of Speaking of Race, We Need To Talk, and Do Nothing. She is a regular guest host on NPR and American Public Media and a highly sought consultant. Headlee’s twenty years in public radio included positions as co-host of PRI’s The Takeaway and anchor for NPR’s Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, Here and Now, All Things Considered, 1A, and Weekend Edition. Her TEDx Talk sharing 10 ways to have a better conversation has over 23 million total views. Celeste is the recipient of the 2019 Media Changemaker Award. She is the proud granddaughter of composer William Grant Still, the Dean of African American Composers.
BOOK DETAILS
Freedom’s Daughter
How a Generation of Black Women Resisted Oppression Through Literacy and Education
By Celeste Headlee
October 6, 2026 | Hardcover, 320 Pages, $30.99
Event venue & nearby stays
Busboys and Poets 14th & V, 2021 14th St NW, Washington, United States
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