YORK, Pa. — Welcome to the first month of the FOX43 Book Club!
We are partnering with local libraries to create a Book Club featuring authors from Pennsylvania, highlighting the stories of our surrounding communities.
Mina Edmondson, director of York County Libraries' (YCL) Martin Library, joined FOX43's meteorologist Ally Debicki to introduce the first month's selection, "Murder is the Charge: The True Story of Mayor Charlie Robertson and the York, Pennsylvania, Race Riots."
The book details a period of extreme unrest in York during July 1969. A false accusation ignited mayhem between white and Black residents of the city, law enforcement and York officials.
Dauphin County lawyer William C. Costopoulos co-authored the book with political reporter Brad Bumsted. Costopoulos was tasked in 2001 with untangling the complicated legal question of whether Mayor Robertson could be charged with the murder of Lillie Belle Allen, a young African American woman who was killed while visiting the city with her family during the riots.
Those who are interested in participating in the Book Club discussion on March 28 can find the book at many online retailers or at libraries in the surrounding area.
YCL owns two copies of the book. A librarian's search also found copies in the Dauphin, Lebanon and Lancaster county library systems, as well as a copy at New Cumberland's library and a few local universities.
Readers can also ask their preferred library to request the book from Access PA, a statewide library resource sharing network.
For anyone who is interested in participating in the discussion or wants to learn more about the history of the period, YCL also put together a blog with resources and news articles covering the time period.
We invite you to join Ally and digital content producer Kayleigh Johnson for their Facebook Live discussion of "Murder is the Charge" on March 28 at 10 a.m. The Live will be hosted on the FOX43 Book Club's Facebook group.
The Facebook Live introducing March's pick can be found here or above.