A Daughter's Moving Story Of Her Father's Lynching And A Journey of Discovery

Just weeks before Christmas, 1947, Josephine Bolling was five years old and learned that her father, Elmore Bolling, just 39 and the father of seven was dead. Elmore Bolling was a leader in Lowndes County’s black community, had established himself as a man who volunteered to serve the less fortunate and had worked hard to build a small trucking business and provide for his family and others.

In this moving and important book, THE PENALTY FOR SUCCESS: My Father Was Lynched In Lowndes County Alabama, the author tells the story of the murder of a black man in 1940s Lowndes County, Alabama. It is a story that reveals the scheme to cover up a “lynching”. Josephine Bolling McCall’s story of her father’s murder presents convincing evidence that he was lynched, although he was not hanged, mutilated, or burned before a crowd of people. Elmore Bolling was shot six times in the front of his body with a pistol and once in the back with a shotgun.

After years of research, including interviews with relatives and elderly Lowndes County residents, Josephine Bolling McCall sought and found answers to many troubling questions that she had about her family, especially about events in her father’s life. Her journey of discovery presents a revealing narrative of a time, a place, and a people that challenges us to rethink the reality of life for both blacks and whites in a rural, southern community.

The author will be available for a book signing immediately after the presentation. www.penaltyforsuccess.com

Wednesday, June 17, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

First Parish Church

35 Church Street, Watertown

(#71 Bus from Harvard Square to Watertown Center)

Co-sponsored by

Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment

World in Watertown

First Parish of Watertown

Visit www.watertowncitizens.org