FREEDOM’S DAUGHTERS | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Nov 10, 2026 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Nov 10, 2026 6:00 pm
14th & V
To a young Headlee, Carrie Still Shepperson held almost mythical status. Born into the chaos of the Civil War, Carrie graduated from college, became a teacher, and dedicated her life to providing access to education and literacy for Black people living in the South. She received many honors and accolades in her lifetime, and was a respected and well-known figure. And yet her story, as is so often the case with Black women’s legacies, had been nearly erased.
It took Headlee nearly a decade to piece together Carrie’s life. But in Freedom’s Daughters, Headlee has rendered not only her great-grandmother’s forgotten story, but those of her sisters—a generation of women who believed freedom was inextricably linked with learning and free expression, and who worked tirelessly to secure access to literacy and education for a generation of Black children born into freedom.
By turns shocking, inspiring, and deeply moving, Freedom’s Daughters is Headlee’s impeccably researched, beautifully rendered journey to better understand her family history, herself, and the blurry lines that separate past and present.
Celeste Headlee is joining us on the Busboys stage to share “a moving testament to how new revelations surface when telling history is in the hands of slavery’s descendants” (Martha S. Jones, author of The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Headlee will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Doors open to guests at 5:30pm. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of FREEDOM’S DAUGHTERS will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Celeste Headlee is an internationally recognized journalist and radio host, professional speaker and author of bestselling book We Need To Talk, Do Nothing, Speaking of Race, You’re Cute When You’re Mad and It Starts with Self-Compassion. Her newest book is Freedom's Daughters, to be released in October. She teaches journalism at Morgan State University.
Her TEDx Talk, 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation, has been viewed more than 40 million times. In her 25-year career in public radio, Celeste has anchored programs including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, Here and Now, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. She also served as co-host of the national morning news show, The Takeaway, from PRI and WNYC.
Celeste is also the president and CEO of Headway DEI, a non-profit that works to bring racial justice and equity to organizations through science-based training, and she serves on the board for the National Center for Race Amity. Celeste is the granddaughter of composer William Grant Still, known as the Dean of Black American Composers and she is a trained operatic soprano. She lives in the DC area with rescue dog, Samus.
BOOK DETAILS
Freedom’s Daughters
How a Generation of Black Women Resisted Oppression Through Literacy and Education
By Celeste Headlee
October 6, 2026 | Hardcover, 320 Pages, $30.99
