Guest Speaker Deborah Baker

At Westminster’s Library class on February 8 at 9 am, we will welcome Deborah Baker as our guest speaker. Ms. Baker is a distinguished writer, born in Charlottesville and educated at the University of Virginia and Cambridge. Her most recent book, Charlottesville: An American Story, explores in powerful, deeply-researched detail, the events and long histories behind the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally — the torch-lit campus march, the street violence, and the tragic murder of Heather Heyer — situating them in a broader context of American history, local memory, and civic identity. Her previous works include In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding (a Pulitzer Prize finalist), The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism, A Blue Hand: The Beats in India, and The Last Englishmen: Love, War, and the End of Empire.

Ms. Baker will present on Charlottesville, read a selected excerpt, and lead a discussion about how memory, place, and moral witness — themes dear to Christian communities — shape our understanding of justice, reconciliation, and hope today. Westminster is honored to welcome her, and all are invited to attend. Parking is behind the church, off 17th street.