Jemele Hill in conversation with Keisha Lance Bottoms - Uphill
An empowering, unabashedly bold memoir by the Atlantic journalist and former ESPN SportsCenter co-anchor about overcoming a legacy of pain and forging a new path, no matter how uphill life’s battles might be.
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and A Cappella Books are honored to welcome Jemele Hill to The Carter Center for a discussion of her new book, "UpHill" on Monday, November 14, at 7 PM. Hill will appear in conversation with Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Atlanta mayor and current White House Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement.
Copies of "Uphill" will be available for purchase at the venue. The author will sign after the program.
About the Book
Jemele Hill’s world came crashing down when she called President Trump a “white supremacist”; the White House wanted her fired from ESPN, and she was deluged with death threats. But Hill had faced tougher adversaries growing up in Detroit than a tweeting president. Beneath the exterior of one of the most recognizable journalists in America was a need—a calling—to break her family’s cycle of intergenerational trauma.
Born in the middle of a lively routine Friday night Monopoly game to a teen mother and a heroin-addicted father, Hill constantly adjusted to the harsh realities of not only her own childhood but the inherited generational pain of her mother and grandmother. Her escape was writing.
Hill’s mother was less than impressed with the brassy and bold free expression of her diary, but Hill never stopped discovering and amplifying her voice. Through hard work and a constant willingness to learn, Hill rose from newspaper reporter to columnist to new heights as the co-anchor for ESPN’s revered “SportsCenter.” Soon, she earned respect and support for her fearless opinions and unshakable confidence, as well as a reputation as a trusted journalist who speaks her mind with truth and conviction.
In Jemele Hill’s journey “Uphill,” she shares the whole story of her work, the women of her family, and her complicated relationship with God in an unapologetic, character-rich, and eloquent memoir.
About the Author
Jemele Hill is the Emmy Award–winning former cohost of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and 2018 NABJ Journalist of the Year. Hill is a contributing writer for the Atlantic, where she covers the intersection of sports, race, politics, and culture. She is also the producer of a Disney/ESPN documentary with Colin Kaepernick. She grew up in Detroit, graduated from Michigan State University, and now lives in Los Angeles.
About the Conversation Partner
Keisha Lance Bottoms currently serves as White House Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement.
Bottoms is also a former CNN Political Commentator, based in Atlanta, Georgia, where she served as the 60th Mayor. Keisha served as Mayor during one of the most challenging times in the history of Atlanta. Keisha became the first Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government, having previously served as a Judge and a City Councilmember.
Keisha was named 2020 Georgian of the Year by Georgia Trend Magazine. She also was named one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year and was named a member of Ebony Magazine’s prestigious Power 100 List. She has also been honored as a BET 100 Entertainer and Innovator of the Year and was named the Smart Cities Dive’s 2020 Leader of the Year. Keisha was also the recipient of the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award presented by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law in recognition of her equity-driven leadership to help guide and protect marginalized communities.
Keisha is the daughter of R&B icon Major Lance and Sylvia Robinson. She and her husband, Derek, are parents to four children.
