The Richmond Public Library, in partnership with Coming to the Table (CTTT-RVA), is proud to present authors Betty Kilby Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby who are cousins, connected through slavery. One Black, and one White, these women tell their journey of discovery and reconciliation in their book COUSINS: Connected through slavery, a Black woman and a White woman discover their past--and each other.

What happens when a White woman, Phoebe, contacts a Black woman, Betty, saying she suspects they are connected through slavery? A surprise. Betty responds, “Hello cousin.” Open to exploring difficult truths and sharing an admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King, they embark on a path towards reconciliation. Each tells her dramatic story - from Betty’s experience desegregating her county’s only high school to Phoebe’s eventual question to Betty: “How do I begin to repair the harms?”

Piercingly honest COUSINS offers examples of reparations on a personal level.

What others say about COUSINS:

U. S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia:  “I hope their experience inspires others to sit down at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood to promote racial healing."

Ninth President of the University of Richmond, Historian Edward L. Ayers:  "This powerful book weaves together the eloquent stories of two impressive women—stories of survival, determination, and awakening, of honesty, spirituality, and success.  They give us a detective story and a mystery, a reconciliation and a celebration.  A reader will be grateful for all of them.”

CTTT Co-Director Tom DeWolf:  “I LOVED Cousins.” “Cousins is a must-read for everyone committed to racial healing and justice.  Betty’s and Phoebe’s lives couldn’t have been more different, growing up. The legacy of slavery looms large here. Yet once they found each other, they committed to healing and repair and to building an authentic and accountable friendship.”

About the Authors:

Dr. Betty Kilby Fisher Baldwin grew up in rural Culpeper and Warren counties, Virginia. Thanks to her father’s determination, she entered and graduated from Warren County High School after suing the school board, based on the landmark Supreme Court Brown vs. Board of Education decision of 1954. She also authored her autobiography, Wit, Will & Walls.  Betty is actively involved in Coming to the Table (CTTT), and speaks frequently with Phoebe about making connections across the racial divide to create a more just and peaceful world.

Phoebe Kilby grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and pursued a long career as an urban and environmental planner and more recently obtained a degree in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University. A descendant of enslavers, Phoebe was inspired by the Coming to the Table movement to connect with descendants of persons her family enslaved starting with Betty. She has participated in CTTT since 2007 and serves as a co-facilitator for the Asheville, NC, CTTT Local Group.

With Betty, Phoebe continues to pursue Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.’s dream... “that the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

JOIN the Richmond Public Library and Coming to the Table – RVA https://www.comingtothetable-rva.org/ for this virtual discussion of COUSINS, racial healing, and justice on Zoom with the authors, Betty Kilby Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby.