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Bestselling Author Wes Moore Discusses Racism, Reform in Virtual Book Talk

Calvert parent and bestselling author Wes Moore spoke with our community about racial inequity and reform Wednesday, July 29, as part of a discussion of his new book, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City.
During the hour-long conversation, Moore touched on topics including the intersecting “twin crises” of inequity and COVID-19, recent protests, and how parents can help their children navigate these complex issues.
 
“Part of our job and part of our responsibility as parents is to protect, it is to make our kids feel joy, but part of our responsibility is to make our kids unafraid to understand what pain feels like, too,” Moore said. “And make it so they can be not just sympathetic leaders, but that they can be empathetic leaders.”
 
He also spoke about honestly acknowledging historical wounds and injustices, which he believes is key to moving past racial inequality.
 
“The reality is that this country was founded on a racial hierarchy. The reality is this country was founded on stolen land and stolen labor. That’s fact. Our ability to be able to process and move on from that does not mean we have to deny it,” Moore said. “Loving your country doesn’t mean lying about it.”
 
Moore’s fifth book, Five Days recounts the local unrest that erupted following the police-involved death of Freddie Gray Jr. in 2015, and is told through the perspectives of eight Baltimoreans who experienced the unrest firsthand. These voices include prominent members of the activist community, local business owners, police representatives, and more.
 
“Hearing how these five days evolved through the eyes of these eight people was really the thing that felt grabbing to me as both a storyteller and someone who was trying to process it in my own mind,” Moore said. “But then also feeling like it was the right way and the appropriate way of being able to help chronicle what happened over this five-day period.”
 
In addition to Five Days, Moore has authored books including The Other Wes Moore, The Work, and This Way Home. He is also a noted combat veteran, social entrepreneur, and the CEO of Robin Hood, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations.
 
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