History Book Club Presents JoJo Bell
We invite you to join the next gathering of our virtual History Book Club for Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms by Jojo Bell.
Led by JoJo Bell, PhD candidate in history at the University of Minnesota and William Jones, professor of history at the University of Minnesota.
What is the History Book Club?
The History Book Club is a monthly event series that brings together alumni, faculty, students, and friends of the history department to engage virtually with our faculty and graduates, and learn about their recently published books.
Do I need to read the book to attend this gathering?
You do not! Our History Book Club gatherings are designed to be enjoyed by any history-lover, whether or not you’ve read the featured book.
About the book
Hilda Simms emerged as an actress at a time when segregation was deeply entrenched in Hollywood and on Broadway. Black performers were mostly relegated to bit parts, stereotyped characters, or comic-relief roles—if they were hired at all. After joining Harlem's American Negro Theatre in 1943, Simms became immersed in a vibrant community of African American performers, writers, and other artists. Over the next two decades, she helped to chart a path for Black actors who wanted to be considered serious dramatists and tell stories that spoke to the true experience of African Americans.
About the hosts
Jokeda "JoJo" Bell
Jokeda "JoJo" Bell, is the executive director and the director of exhibitions and programming for the African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota (AAICM). Her roles within the organization have led to collaborative programming with institutions like the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. She has also appeared as an expert in the Minnesota Historical Society's documentary, "Storied: African Americans in WWI." In 2019, JoJo curated "The Builders" exhibition for AAICM, which was named one of the top ten art exhibitions of the year by the Star Tribune. Bell is a PhD student in the history department at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include black women and land ownership in the Upper Midwest. She lives in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
William Jones
William Jones, is a historian of the 20th century United States, with particular interests in the relationships between race and class.He has published books on African American industrial workers in the Jim Crow South and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, and currently writing on the history of race and inequality in public employment. Before coming to the University of Minnesota in 2016, he taught at the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University.