History Is Lunch: Gautham Rao, “A History of Policing American Slavery”

At noon on Wednesday, October 7, Gautham Rao, associate professor of history at American University in Washington, DC, will discuss rebellions, fugitivity, activism, and the legal systems that challenged them as part of the History Is Lunch series. In Rao’s book, White Power: Policing American Slavery, he offers a new interpretation of the history of policing in the United States, centered on the institution and legacy of slavery. This free event will take place in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums and will stream live on the MDAH Facebook page and YouTube channel. Copies of White Power will be available for purchase, and a book signing will follow. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

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White Power

Policing American Slavery

by Gautham Rao

320 pp., 11 halftones, 4 maps

ISBN 978-1-4696-9484-9 $30.00 cloth

Publication date: May 19, 2026

For more information: https://www.uncpress.org/book/9781469694849/white-power/