Historian James Wiggins will discuss his new book at April 23 meeting of Natchez Historical Society

Historian James Wiggins

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Historian and retired educator James Wiggins will discuss his new book, "Outliving the White Lie: A Southerner's Historical, Genealogical and Personal Journey" (University Press of Mississippi, 2024), at the Tuesday, April 23 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. 

The meeting is free to the public and will be held at Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St. It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation at 6 p.m. Wiggins' book will be available for purchase at the meeting. 

"I am very much looking forward to my talk at the Natchez Historical Society," said Wiggins. "I certainly want to promote the book, but more, this is a vitally important topic that cries out for more discussion and greater understanding. I hope we can advance those goals on April 23rd."

Wiggins said his talk will focus on the lies often told about slavery and race in the nation's history, from colonial times to the present. 

Wiggins will discuss the "lies of commission, omission, and willful ignorance," while acknowledging his own "ancestors' participation in that process over time, as well as his own."

Wiggins is a retired instructor of History at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. He has published columns in The Natchez Democrat. Wiggins has spoken for the society in the past. 

The April 23 program is funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, visit natchezhistoricalsociety.org or call 601-492-3004. Emails may be sent to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org